Persistence of mantle lithospheric Re–Os signature during asthenospherization of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle: insights from in situ isotopic analysis of sulfides from the Ronda peridotite (Southern Spain)

The western part of the Ronda peridotite massif (Southern Spain) consists mainly of highly foliated spinel-peridotite tectonites and undeformed granular peridotites that are separated by a recrystallization front. The spinel tectonites are interpreted as volumes of ancient subcontinental lithospheric mantle and the granular peridotites as a portion of subcontinental lithospheric mantle that underwent partial melting and pervasive percolation of basaltic melts induced by Cenozoic asthenospheric upwelling. The Re–Os isotopic signature of sulfides from the granular domain and the recrystallization front mostly coincides with that of grains in the spinel tectonites. This indicates that the Re–Os radiometric system in sulfides was highly resistant to partial melting and percolation of melts induced by Cenozoic lithospheric thermal erosion. The Re–Os isotopic systematics of sulfides in the Ronda peridotites thus mostly conserve the geochemical memory of ancient magmatic events in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Os model ages record two Proterozoic melting episodes at ~1.6 to 1.8 and 1.2–1.4 Ga, respectively. The emplacement of the massif into the subcontinental lithospheric mantle probably coincided with one of these depletion events. A later metasomatic episode caused the precipitation of a new generation of sulfides at ~0.7 to 0.9 Ga. These Proterozoic Os model ages are consistent with results obtained for several mantle suites in Central/Western Europe and Northern Africa as well as with the Nd model ages of the continental crust of these regions. This suggests that the events recorded in mantle sulfides of the Ronda peridotites reflect different stages of generation of the continental crust in the ancient Gondwana supercontinent.     

Genetic relations between meteorites and terrestrial and lunar rocks

According to their genesis, meteorites are classified into heliocentric (which originate from the asteroid belt) and planetocentric (which are fragments of the satellites of giant planets, including the Proto-Earth). Heliocentric meteorites (chondrites and primitive meteorites genetically related to them) used in this study as a characteristic of initial phases of the origin of the terrestrial planets. Synthesis of information on planetocentric meteorites (achondrites and iron meteorites) provides the basis for a model for the genesis of the satellites of giant planets and the Moon. The origin and primary layering of the Earth was initially analogously to that of planets of the HH chondritic type, as follows from similarities between the Earth’s primary crust and mantle and the chondrules of Fe-richest chondrites. The development of the Earth’s mantle and crust precluded its explosive breakup during the transition from its protoplanetary to planetary evolutionary stage, whereas chondritic planets underwent explosive breakup into asteroids. Lunar silicate rocks are poorer in Fe than achondrites, and this is explained in the model for the genesis of the Moon by the separation of a small metallic core, which sometime (at 3–4 Ga) induced the planet’s magnetic field. Iron from this core was involved into the generation of lunar depressions (lunar maria) filled with Fe- and Ti-rich rocks. In contrast to the parent planets of achondrites, the Moon has a olivine mantle, and this fact predetermined the isotopically heavier oxygen isotopic composition of lunar rocks. This effect also predetermined the specifics of the Earth’s rocks, whose oxygen became systematically isotopically heavier from the Precambrian to Paleozoic and Mesozoic in the course of olivinization of the peridotite mantle, a processes that formed the so-called roots of continents.     

Geochemical variation within the northern Ryukyu Arc: magma source compositions and geodynamic implications

The major and trace element and Pb–Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of Quaternary mafic lavas from the northern Ryukyu arc provide insights into the nature of the mantle wedge and its tectonic evolution. Beneath the volcanic front in the northern part of the arc, the subducted slab of the Philippine Sea Plate bends sharply and steepens at a depth of ∼80 km. Lavas from the volcanic front have high abundances of large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements relative to the high field strength elements, consistent with the result of fluid enrichment processes related to dehydration of the subducting slab. New Pb isotopic data identify two distinct asthenospheric domains in the mantle wedge beneath the south Kyushu and northern Ryukyu arc, which, in a parallel with data from the Lau Basin, appear to reflect mantle with affinities to Indian and Pacific-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Indian Ocean MORB-type mantle, contaminated with subducted Ryukyu sediments can account for the variation of lavas erupted on south Kyushu, and probably in the middle Okinawa Trough. In contrast, magmas of the northern Ryukyu volcanic front appear to be derived from sources of Pacific MORB-type mantle contaminated with a sedimentary component. Along-arc variation in the northern Ryukyus reflects increasing involvement of a sedimentary component to the south. Compositions of alkalic basalts from the south Kyushu back-arc resemble intraplate-type basalts erupted in NW Kyushu since ∼12 Ma. We propose that the bending of the subducted slab was either caused by or resulted in lateral migration of asthenospheric mantle, yielding Indian Ocean-type characteristics from a mantle upwelling zone beneath NW Kyushu and the East China Sea. This model also accounts for (1) extensional counter-clockwise crustal rotation (∼4–2 Ma), (2) voluminous andesite volcanism (∼2 Ma), and (3) the recent distinctive felsic magmatism in the south Kyushu region. Received: 30 November 1999 / Accepted: 20 July 2000     

Petrochemistry of peridotites from North China: Significance for lithospheric mantle evolution

A petrochemical analysis was undertaken of peridotitic xenoliths in volcanic rocks that erupted from the Paleozoic to the Cenozoic within the eastern part of the North China craton, and the peridotites as tectonic intrusion in the Early Mesozoic from the Sulu orogen. The results show that the cratonic mantle, which was refractory and existed when the kimberlites intruded in the Paleozoic, had almost been replaced by the newly accreted fertile lithospheric mantle during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. The erosion, metasomatism, and intermingling caused by the accreted asthenospheric material acting on the craton mantle along the weak zone and deep fault (such as the Tanlu fault) in the existing lithosphere resulted in the lithospheric thinning at a larger scale 100 Ma ago (but later than 178 Ma). The largest thinning would be in the Eogene. The upwelling asthenospheric material transformed into accreted lithospheric mantle due to the asthenospheric temperature falling in the Neogene (leading to relatively slight lithospheric incrassation), and finally accomplished mantle replacement. The peridotitic body in the Sulu orogen represents the products spreading from the modified cratonic lithospheric mantle. Translated from Earth Science—Journal of China University of Geosciences, 2006, 31(1): 49–56 [译自: 地球科学—中国地质大学学报]     

Petrology of a Late Archaean, Highly Potassic, Sanukitoid Pluton from the Baltic Shield: Insights into Late Archaean Mantle Metasomatism

The late Archaean Panozero pluton in Central Karelia (BalticShield) is a multi-phase high-Mg, high-K intrusion with sanukitoidaffinities, emplaced at 2·74 Ga. The magmatic historyof the intrusion may be subdivided into three cycles and includesmonzonitic and lamprophyric magmas. Compositional variationsare most extreme in the monzonite series and these are interpretedas the result of fractional crystallization. Estimates of thecomposition of the parental magmas to the monzonites and lamprophyresshow that they are enriched in light rare earth elements, Sr,Ba, Cr, Ni and P but have low contents of high field strengthelements. Radiogenic isotope data indicate a low U/Pb, highTh/U, high Rb/Sr, low Sm/Nd source. The magmatic rocks of thePanozero intrusion are also enriched in H₂O and CO₂; carbonisotope data are consistent with mantle values, indicating afluid-enriched mantle source. The similarity in trace elementcharacter of all the Panozero parental magmas indicates thatall the magmas were derived from a similar mantle source. Thepattern of trace element enrichment is consistent with a mantlesource enriched by fluids released from a subducting slab. Nd-isotopedata suggest that this enrichment took place at c. 2·8Ga, during the main episode of greenstone belt and tonalite–trondhjemite–granodioriteformation in Central Karelia. Sixty million years later, at2·74 Ga, the subcontinental mantle melted to form thePanozero magmas. Experimental studies suggest that the monzoniticmagmas originated by the melting of pargasite–phlogopitelherzolite in the subcontinental mantle lithosphere at 1–1·5GPa. The precise cause of the melting event at 2·74 Gais not known, although a model involving upwelling of asthenosphericmantle following slab break-off is consistent with the geochemicalevidence for the enrichment of the Karelian subcontinental mantlelithosphere by subduction fluids. KEY WORDS: Archaean; sanukitoid; monzonite; Karelia; mantle metasomatism     

Fate of carbonates within oceanic plates subducted to the lower mantle, and a possible mechanism of diamond formation

We report on high-pressure and high-temperature experiments involving carbonates and silicates at 30–80 GPa and 1,600–3,200 K, corresponding to depths within the Earth of approximately 800–2,200 km. The experiments are intended to represent the decomposition process of carbonates contained within oceanic plates subducted into the lower mantle. In basaltic composition, CaCO₃ (calcite and aragonite), the major carbonate phase in marine sediments, is altered into MgCO₃ (magnesite) via reactions with Mg-bearing silicates under conditions that are 200–300°C colder than the mantle geotherm. With increasing temperature and pressure, the magnesite decomposes into an assemblage of CO₂ + perovskite via reactions with SiO₂. Magnesite is not the only host phase for subducted carbon—solid CO₂ also carries carbon in the lower mantle. Furthermore, CO₂ itself breaks down to diamond and oxygen under geotherm conditions over 70 GPa, which might imply a possible mechanism for diamond formation in the lower mantle.     

Mantle Pb paradoxes: the sulfide solution

There is growing evidence that the budget of Pb in mantle peridotites is largely contained in sulfide, and that Pb partitions strongly into sulfide relative to silicate melt. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that diffusion rates of Pb in sulfide (solid or melt) are very fast. Given the possibility that sulfide melt “wets” sub-solidus mantle silicates, and has very low viscosity, the implications for Pb behavior during mantle melting are profound. There is only sparse experimental data relating to Pb partitioning between sulfide and silicate, and no data on Pb diffusion rates in sulfides. A full understanding of Pb behavior in sulfide may hold the key to several long-standing and important Pb paradoxes and enigmas. The classical Pb isotope paradox arises from the fact that all known mantle reservoirs lie to the right of the Geochron, with no consensus as to the identity of the “balancing” reservoir. We propose that long-term segregation of sulfide (containing Pb) to the core may resolve this paradox. Another Pb paradox arises from the fact that the Ce/Pb ratio of both OIB and MORB is greater than bulk earth, and constant at a value of 25. The constancy of this “canonical ratio” implies similar partition coefficients for Ce and Pb during magmatic processes (Hofmann et al. in Earth Planet Sci Lett 79:33–45, 1986), whereas most experimental studies show that Pb is more incompatible in silicates than Ce. Retention of Pb in residual mantle sulfide during melting has the potential to bring the bulk partitioning of Ce into equality with Pb if the sulfide melt/silicate melt partition coefficient for Pb has a value of ∼ 14. Modeling shows that the Ce/Pb (or Nd/Pb) of such melts will still accurately reflect that of the source, thus enforcing the paradox that OIB and MORB mantles have markedly higher Ce/Pb (and Nd/Pb) than the bulk silicate earth. This implies large deficiencies of Pb in the mantle sources for these basalts. Sulfide may play other important roles during magmagenesis: (1) advective/diffusive sulfide networks may form potent metasomatic agents (in both introducing and obliterating Pb isotopic heterogeneities in the mantle); (2) silicate melt networks may easily exchange Pb with ambient mantle sulfides (by diffusion or assimilation), thus “sampling” Pb in isotopically heterogeneous mantle domains differently from the silicate-controlled isotope tracer systems (Sr, Nd, Hf), with an apparent “de-coupling” of these systems.     

Vertical velocity of mantle flow of East Asia and adjacent areas

Based on the high-resolution body wave tomographic image and relevant geophysical data, we calculated the form and the vertical and tangential velocities of mantle flow. We obtained the pattern of mantle convection for East Asia and the West Pacific. Some important results and understandings are gained from the images of the vertical velocity of mantle flow for East Asia and the West Pacific. There is an upwelling plume beneath East Asia and West Pacific, which is the earth’s deep origin for the huge rift valley there. We have especially outlined the tectonic features of the South China Sea, which is of the “工” type in the upper mantle shield type in the middle and divergent in the lower; the Siberian clod downwelling dives from the surface to near Core and mantle bounary (CMB), which is convergent in the upper mantle and divergent in the lower mantle; the Tethyan subduction region, centered in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, is visible from 300 to 2 000 km, which is also convergent in the upper mantle and divergent in the lower mantle. The three regions of mantle convection beneath East Asia and the West Pacific are in accordance with the West Pacific, Ancient Asia and the Tethyan structure regions. The mantle upwelling originates from the core-mantle boundary and mostly occurs in the middle mantle and the lower part of the upper mantle. The velocities of the vertical mantle flow are about 1–4 cm per year and the tangential velocities are 1–10 cm per year. The mantle flow has an effect on controlling the movement of plates and the distributions of ocean ridges, subduction zones and collision zones. The mantle upwelling regions are clearly related with the locations of hotspots on the earth’s surface. Translated from Geology in China, 2006, 33(4): 896–905 [译自: 中国地质]     

Crust-mantle interaction in continental arcs: inferences from the Mesozoic arc in the southwestern United States

Arc magmas ranging in composition from basaltic andesites to rhyolites and intrusive equivalents were emplaced into the western margin of the North American craton starting in Late Triassic time giving way to rift0related sedimentation in the Late Jurassic. The region of this study cuts across Proterozoic basements of contrasting Nd model ages, 1.7–1.8 Ga (average ɛ_Nd∼−11) in eastern Arizona and 2.0 to 2.3 GA (average ɛ_Nd∼−18) in western Arizona and eastern California (Bennett and DePaolo 1987). The Mesozoic rocks have initial ɛ_Nd of -3.4 to-6.4 in the eastern part of the study area and -7.1 to -9.2 in the western part. All of the rocks have elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁷Sr initial ratios (>0.706). Trends in initial ɛ_Nd values of Mesozoic arc rocks are directly correlated with the Nd model ages of the basement through which they passed. Simple two-component mixing calculations indicate that recycled continental crust in the arc magmas represents on average about 65%. A minimum of 35% mantle input into continental arc magmas, as recent as the Mesozoic, represents a significant contribution to the growth of the continental crust, in the absence of a return flow of continental material into the mantle of similar magnitude. In a detailed study in the Santa Rita Mountains. Arizona, there is a pattern of increase of ɛ_Nd with time: early basaltic andesites have more negative ɛ_Nd than later felsic rocks. A correlated pattern of depletion with time is also observed with trace element and major element data. We attribute this either to progressive hybridization of the lower crust by repeated injection of mantle magmas, or the progressive thinning of the continental crust during prolonged arc magmatism. The present data do not allow distinction between the two models. Progressive decrease in crustal contribution to arc magmas with time may be an important feature of continental arc evolution. Hybridization of the lower crust due to repeated injection of mantle melts during arc magmatism may help contribute to small-scale heterogeneities in lower crust inferred from seismic and xenolith data. Similarly, whether there is a well defined MOHO or sharp crust-mantle boundary in any given segment of the continental crust may in part depend on the extent of crust modification as a result of continental arc magmatism.     

Petrology of ultramafic xenoliths from Kishyuku Lava,Fukue-jima,Southwest Japan

 Ultramafic xenoliths are found in Kishyuku Lava, Fukue-jima, Southwest Japan. These include spinel lherzolite, harzburgite and dunite, as well as pyroxenite. The compositions of the constituent minerals of the peridotite xenoliths are in the range of upper mantle peridotites. Variable Cr/(Cr+Al) ratios (0.1–0.5) of spinel, together with a limited range in olivine composition (Fo₉₀–Fo₉₂), indicate that the xenoliths are derived from slightly to highly depleted residual mantle. The combination of previously published clinopyroxene-olivine geothermobarometry and clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene geothermometry applied to the xenoliths yields a high geotherm of 1070° C at 1.0 GPa up to 1200° C at 2.2 GPa. Existence of such depleted upper mantle is compatible with the existing model of asthenospheric injection during the rifting of the Northeast China and the Japan Sea. The high geotherm is caused by thermal perturbation due to the injection of the hot asthenosphere and/or post-rifting uprise of mantle diapirs since 11 Ma. Received: 15 May 1995 / Accepted: 3 January 1996     

The Geochemistry of the Arabian Lithospheric Mantle--a Source for Intraplate Volcanism?

We present trace element and Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopecompositions for clinopyroxenes from anhydrous spinel peridotiteand garnet ± spinel pyroxenite xenoliths of Pan-Africanlithospheric mantle from Jordan, including the first high-precisiondouble-spike Pb isotope measurements of mantle clinopyroxene.Clinopyroxenes from the peridotites are variably Th–U–LILE–LREEenriched and display prominent negative Nb, Zr and Ti anomalies.MREE–HREE abundances can generally be modelled as partialmelting residues of spinel lherzolite with primitive-mantle-likecomposition after extraction of 5–10% melt, whereas theenrichments in Th–U–LILE–LREE require a Pan-Africanor later metasomatic event. The large range of Nd, Sr, Pb andHf isotope ratios in both peridotites and pyroxenites (e.g.Nd 1·4–17·5; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 17·2–20·4;Hf 0·6–164·6) encompasses compositionsmore radiogenic than mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and Pb isotopescover almost the entire range of oceanic basalt values. Hf valuesare some of the highest ever recorded in mantle samples andare decoupled from Nd in the same samples. Marked correlationsbetween Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes, LILE–LREE enrichmentsand HFSE depletion suggest that the metasomatizing agent wasa carbonatitic-rich melt and isotopic data suggest that metasomatismmay have been related to Pan-African subduction. The metasomaticmelt permeated depleted upper mantle (<16 kbar) during Pan-Africansubduction at 600–900 Ma, and the variably metasomatizedmaterial was then incorporated into the Arabian lithosphericmantle. There is no evidence for recent metasomatism (<30Ma) related to the Afar plume like that postulated to have affectedsouthern Arabian lithospheric mantle. Hf isotopes in the mantleclinopyroxenes are unaffected by metasomatism, and even somestrongly overprinted lithologies record ancient (>1·2Ga) pre-metasomatic Lu–Hf signatures of the depleted uppermantle that was the protolith of the Arabian lithospheric mantle.The ‘resistance’ of the Lu–Hf isotopic systemto later metasomatic events resulted in the development of extremelyheterogeneous Hf isotopic signatures over time that are decoupledfrom other isotopic systems. No mantle sample in this studyexactly matches the chemical and isotopic signature of the sourceof Jordanian intraplate basalts. However, the xenolith compositionsare broadly similar to those of the source of Arabian intraplatebasalts, suggesting that the numerous Cenozoic intraplate volcanicfields throughout Arabia may be the product of melting uppermantle wedge material fertilized during Pan-African subductionand incorporated into the Arabian lithospheric mantle. We proposea model whereby the proto-Arabian lithospheric mantle underwenta major melting event in early Proterozoic–late Archeantimes (at the earliest at 1·2 Ga). Island-arc volcanismand major crust formation occurred during the Pan-African orogeny,which liberated fluids and possibly small-degree melts thatmigrated through the mantle creating zones of enrichment forcertain elements depending upon their compatibility. Immobileelements, such as Nb, were concentrated near the base of themantle wedge providing the source of the Nb-rich Jordanian volcanicrocks. More mobile elements, such as LILE and LREE, were transportedup through the mantle and fertilized the shallow mantle sourceof the Jordanian xenoliths. Following subduction, the mantlewedge became fossilized and preserved distinct enriched anddepleted zones. Lithospheric rifting in the Miocene triggeredpartial melting of spinel-facies mantle in the lower lithosphere,which mixed with deeper asthenospheric garnet-facies melts asrifting evolved. These melts entrained segments of variablycarbonatite-metasomatized shallow lithospheric mantle en routeto the surface. KEY WORDS: Arabian lithospheric mantle; Jordan; mantle xenoliths; Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopes     

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

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

Nd,Pb, and Sr isotope composition of Late Mesozoic to Quaternary intra-plate magmatism in NE-Africa (Sudan,Egypt): high-μ signatures from the mantle lithosphere

The isotopic composition of mafic small-volume intra-plate magmatism constrains the compositions of the sub-continental mantle sources. The Nd, Pb, and Sr isotope signatures of widespread late Mesozoic to Quaternary intra-plate magmatism in NE Africa (Sudan, South Egypt) are surprisingly uniform and indicate the presence of a high-μ (μ = ²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) source in the mantle. The rocks are characterized by small ranges in the initial isotopic composition of Nd, Pb, and Sr and most samples fall within ε Nd ca. 3–6, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ca. 19.5–20.5, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ca. 15.63–15.73, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ca. 39–40 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ca. 0.7028–0.7034. We interpret this reservoir as lithospheric mantle that formed beneath the Pan-African orogens and magmatic arcs from asthenospheric mantle, which was enriched in trace elements (U, Th, and light REE). Combining our new data set with published data of intra-plate magmatic rocks from the Arabian plate indicates two compositionally different domains of lithospheric mantle in NE-Africa–Arabia. The two domains are spatially related to the subdivision of the Pan-African orogen into a western section dominated by reworked cratonic basement (NE-Africa; high-μ lithospheric mantle) and an eastern section dominated by juvenile Pan-African basement (easternmost NE-Africa and Arabia; moderate μ lithospheric mantle). The compositions of the Pan-African lithospheric mantle and the MORB-type mantle of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden spreading centers could explain the Nd–Pb-Sr isotopic compositions of the most pristine Afar flood basalts in Yemen and Ethiopia by mixtures of the isotopic composition of regional lithospheric and asthenospheric sources. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Evaluation of crustal and upper mantle structures using receiver function analysis: ISM broadband observatory data

A three-component broadband seismograph is in operation since January 2007 at the Indian School of Mines (ISM) campus, Dhanbad. We have used the broadband (BB) seismograms of 17 teleseismic events (M ≥ 5.8) recorded by this single BB station during 2008–09 to estimate the crust and upper mantle discontinuities in Dhanbad area which falls in the peninsular India shield. The converted wave technique and the Receiver function analysis are used. A 1-D velocity model has been derived using inversion. The Mohorovicic (Moho) discontinuity (crustal thickness) below the ISM observatory is estimated to be ∼41 km, with an average Poisson ratio of ∼0.28, suggesting that the crust below the Dhanbad area is intermediate to mafic in nature. The single station BB data shed new light to the estimate of crustal thickness beneath the eastern India shield area, which was hitherto elusive. Further, it is observed that the global upper mantle discontinuity at 410 km is delayed by ∼0.6 sec compared to the IASP-91 global model; this may be explained by a slower/hotter upper mantle; while the 660 km discontinuity is within the noise level of data.     

Crustal-scale magmatic systems during intracontinental strike-slip tectonics: U, Pb and Hf isotopic constraints from Permian magmatic rocks of the Southern Alps

The Southern Alps host volcano-sedimentary basins that formed during post-Variscan extension and strike-slip in the Early Permian. We present U–Pb ages and initial Hf isotopic compositions of magmatic zircons from silicic tuffs and pyroclastic flows within these basins, from caldera fillings and from shallow intrusions from a 250 km long E–W transect (Bozen–Lugano–Lago Maggiore) and compare these with previously published data. Basin formation and magmatism are closely related to each other and occurred during a short time span between 285 and 275 Ma. The silicic magmatism is coeval with mafic intrusions of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone and within Austroalpine units. We conclude that deep magma generation, hybridisation and upper crustal emplacement occurred contemporaneously along the entire transect of the Southern Alps. The heat advection in the lower crust by injected mantle melts was sufficient to produce crustal partial melts in lower crustal levels. The resulting granitoid melts intruded into the upper crust or rose to the surface forming large caldera complexes. The compilation of Sr and Nd isotopic data of these rocks demonstrates that the mantle mixing endmember in the melts may not be geochemically enriched but has a depleted composition, comparable to the Adriatic subcontinental mantle exhumed to form the Tethyan sea floor during Mesozoic continental breakup and seafloor spreading. Magmatism and clastic sedimentation in the intracontinental basins was interrupted at 275 Ma for some 10–15 million years, forming a Middle Permian unconformity. This unconformity may have originated during large-scale strike-slip tectonics and erosion that was associated with crustal thinning, upwelling and partial melting of mantle, and advection of melts and heat into the crust. The unconformity indeed corresponds in time to the transition from a Pangea-B plate reconstruction for the Early Permian to the Late Permian Pangea-A plate assembly (Muttoni et al. in Earth Planet Sci Lett 215:379–394, 2003). The magmatic activity would therefore indicate the onset of >2,000 km of strike-slip movement along a continental-scale mega-shear, as their model suggests.     

Petrogenesis of isotopically unusual Pliocene olivine leucitites from Deep Springs Valley, California

High-K mafic alkalic lavas (5.4 to 3.2 wt% K₂O) from Deep Springs Valley, California define good correlations of increasing incompatible element (e.g., Sr, Zr, Ba, LREE) and compatible element contents (e.g., Ni, Cr) with increasing MgO. Strontium and Nd isotope compositions are also correlated with MgO; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios decrease and ɛ_Nd values increase with decreasing MgO. The Sr and Nd isotope compositions of these lavas are extreme compared to most other continental and oceanic rocks; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.7121 to 0.7105 and ɛ_Nd values range from −16.9 to −15.4. Lead isotope ratios are relatively constant, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼17.2, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼15.5, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼38.6. Depleted mantle model ages calculated using Sr and Nd isotopes imply that the reservoir these lavas were derived from has been distinct from the depleted mantle reservoir since the early Proterozoic. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotope variations of the Deep Springs Valley lavas are unique because they do not plot along either the EM I or EM II arrays. For example, most basalts that have low ɛ_Nd values and unradiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios have relatively low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (the EM I array), whereas basalts with low ɛ_Nd values and high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios have radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios (the EM II array). High-K lavas from Deep Springs Valley have EM II-like Sr and Nd isotope compositions, but EM I-like Pb isotope compositions. A simple method for producing the range of isotopic and major- and trace-element variations in the Deep Springs Valley lavas is by two-component mixing between this unusual K-rich mantle source and a more typical depleted mantle basalt. We favor passage of MORB-like magmas that partially fused and were contaminated by potassic magmas derived from melting high-K mantle veins that were stored in the lithospheric mantle. The origin of the anomalously high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios and low ɛ_Nd values and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios requires addition of an old component with high Rb/Sr and Th/Pb ratios but low Sm/Nd and U/Pb ratios into the mantle source region from which these basalts were derived. This old component may be sediments that were introduced into the mantle, either during Proterozoic subduction, or by foundering of Proterozoic age crust into the mantle at some time prior to eruption of the lavas. Received: 28 February 1997 / Accepted: 9 July 1998     

The origin of reaction textures in mantle peridotite xenoliths from Sal Island, Cape Verde: the case for “metasomatism” by the host lava

Reaction zones around minerals in mantle xenoliths have been reported from many localities worldwide. Interpretations of the origins of these textures fall into two groups: mantle metasomatic reaction or reaction during transport of the xenoliths to the surface. A suite of harzburgitic mantle xenoliths from Sal, Cape Verde show clear evidence of reaction during transport. The reactions resulted in the formation of olivine–clinopyroxene and Si- and alkali-rich glass reaction zones around orthopyroxene and sieve-textured clinopyroxene and sieve textured spinel, both of which are associated with a Si- and alkali-rich glass similar to that in the orthopyroxene reaction zones. Reaction occurred at pressures less than the mantle equilibration pressure and at temperatures close to the liquidus temperature of the host magma. In addition, there is a clear spatial relation of reaction with the host lava: reaction is most intense near the lava/xenolith contact. The residence time of the xenoliths in the host magma, determined from Fe–Mg interdiffusion profiles in olivine, was approximately 4 years. Our results cannot be reconciled with a recent model for the evolution of the mantle below the Cape Verde Archipelago involving mantle metasomatism by kimberlitic melt. We contend that alkali-rich glasses in the Sal xenoliths are not remnants of a kimberlitic melt, but rather they are the result of reaction between the host lava or a similar magma and xenolith minerals, in particular orthopyroxene. The formation of a Si- and alkali-rich glass by host magma–orthopyroxene reaction appears to be a necessary precursor to formation of sieve textured spinel and clinopyroxene.     

Systematic distribution of incompatible elements in mantle peridotite: importance of intra- and inter-granular melt-like components

In this paper, we examine the distribution of incompatible elements in Earth’s mantle based on data reported for 20 mantle xenoliths collected from 5 localities worldwide. A structural model combined with an element partitioning model forms the basis for our analyses. The former separates a bulk peridotite into mineral crystal lattices, interfaces (grain and interphase boundaries), and intra- and inter-granular inclusions as sites for incompatible elements. The latter relates the distribution of elements among these sites based on lattice strain theory. By treating both intra- and inter-granular inclusions as a melt-like phase, the combined models successfully reproduce the relative concentrations of incompatible elements among minerals, clean rock (reconstituted from mineral compositions and mineral mode), and whole rock. The analyses reveal common signatures in the rocks: (1) incompatible elements in the crystal lattices of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene achieved chemical equilibrium. (2) Olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene grains contain similar amounts of an intra-granular, melt-like component possibly in the form of sub-micron inclusions with weight (≈volume) fractions between 5 × 10⁻⁵ and 1 × 10⁻². (3) All rocks contain an inter-granular melt-like component with a fraction between 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻², well above the amount expected to be stored along interfaces. (4) Fractions of the inter- and intra-granular components are positively correlated, indicating that they were originated from the same process. (5) The inter- and intra-granular melt-like phases are chemically equilibrated with other structural components. Based on plausible upwelling rates for mantle xenoliths, it is unlikely that the melt-like component formed during ascent. Instead, its ubiquitous appearance, its invisibility to optical microscopy, and its absorption of the incompatible elements in a manner similar to a melt phase even at sub-solidus condition, all might be explained by the presence of amorphous silica precipitates such as those observed previously in naturally occurring and experimentally annealed mantle composites. From the mineral mode, grain size, and mineral plus whole rock concentrations of incompatible elements, we can ascribe the chemical signatures of xenoliths to achievement of chemical equilibrium at mantle conditions rather than to a consequence of some disequilibrium (metasomatic) effect as has been done previously. Although it should be tested by additional analytical studies, our model will make it possible to determine whether or not a rock is chemically equilibrated in terms of the distribution of incompatible elements or if a metasomatic (disequilibrium) event is required.     

Bottom to top lithosphere structure and evolution of western Eger Rift (Central Europe)

We present model of the structure and development of the entire lithosphere beneath the western Eger Rift (ER). Its crustal architecture and paths of volcanic products are closely related to sutures/boundaries of uppermost mantle domains distinguished by different orientations of olivine fabric, derived from 3-D analysis of seismic anisotropy. Three different fabrics of the mantle lithosphere belong to the Saxothuringian (ST), Teplá-Barrandian (TB) and Moldanubian (MD) microplates assembled during the Variscan orogeny. Dipping fossil (pre-assembly) olivine orientations, consistent within each unit, do not support any voluminous mantle delamination. The variable rift structure and morphology depend on the character of the pre-rift suture between the northern ST unit and the TB/MD units in the southern rift flank. The proper rift with typical graben morphology has developed above the steep lithosphere-scale suture between the ST and TB units. This subduction-related boundary originated from the closure of the ST Ocean. Parts of the crust and mantle lithosphere were dragged there into asthenospheric depths and then rapidly uplifted. The suture is marked by abrupt change in the mantle fabric and sharp gradients in regional gravity field and in metamorphic grade. The secular TB-side-down normal movement is reflected in deep sedimentary basins, which developed since the Carboniferous to Cenozoic and in topography. The graben morphology of the ER terminates above the “triple junction” of the ST, TB and MD mantle lithospheres. The junction is characterized by offsets of surface boundaries of the tectonic units from their mantle counterparts indicating a detachment of the rigid upper crust from the mantle lithosphere. The southwest continuation of the rift features in Bavaria is expressed in occurrences of Cenozoic sediments and volcanics above an inclined broad transition zone between the ST and MD lithospheres. Schematic scenario of evolution of the region consists mainly of a subduction of the ST lithosphere to depths around 140 km, exhumation of HP-HT rocks and the post-tectonic granitoid plutonism.     

Growth of diamond in hydrous silicate melts

This study demonstrates that a hydrous, halide bearing silicate melt is a viable medium for diamond growth. Experiments were conducted in the MgO–SiO₂–H₂O–C ± KCl ± NaCl system, which was used as a model for harzburgitic mantle. In no case did we observe crystals that could be interpreted as spontaneously nucleated, but growth of diamond on seed crystals at 1,400–1,600°C and 7 GPa in experiments of 4 h duration was observed. The addition of KCl to the system produced crystallization of diamond at temperatures as low as 1,400°C. At higher temperatures, larger growth features were produced than those that seen in the KCl-free system at the same conditions. The NaCl-bearing system is different; in these experiments, the diamond seed crystals show evidence of possible dissolution and layer growth, albeit more subdued growth than in the KCl system. Therefore, NaCl may be an inhibitor of diamond growth in a hydrous silicate melt. Based on these results, hydrous silicate melts could play a role in formation of diamond in either deep subduction zones, or above slabs imbricated against a lithospheric ‘root’ in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. The water and halide necessary for their formation could be transported into the mantle in hydrous phases such as serpentine in subducting lithospheric slabs. Dehydration of serpentine at >200 km depth would release hydrous, halide-bearing fluids into the overlying mantle wedge or lithospheric root, triggering melting at conditions similar to those of the formation of natural diamond.