The major element composition of the upper mantle estimated from the composition of lherzolites

The compilation of analyses of continental and oceanic spinel Iherzolites show that these two types of Iherzolites have very similar compositions. Their composition range differ from that of African garnet Iherzolites, and the data suggest that the mantle beneath Africa has an anomalous composition. If the composition of the upper mantle may be estimated from that of Iherzolites, the compositions of spinel Iherzolite should form the basis for this estimate. It is suggested that the compositions of spinel Iherzolite represent both undepleted and depleted compositions, and a representative composition for the primitive mantle is proposed on this basis.     

Distribution of REE between clinopyroxene and basaltic melt along a mantle adiabat: effects of major element composition, water, and temperature

The distribution of rare earth elements (REE) between clinopyroxene (cpx) and basaltic melt is important in deciphering the processes of mantle melting. REE and Y partition coefficients from a given cpx-melt partitioning experiment can be quantitatively described by the lattice strain model. We analyzed published REE and Y partitioning data between cpx and basaltic melts using the nonlinear regression method and parameterized key partitioning parameters in the lattice strain model (D ₀, r ₀ and E) as functions of pressure, temperature, and compositions of cpx and melt. D ₀ is found to positively correlate with Al in tetrahedral site (Al ^T ) and Mg in the M2 site (Mg^M2) of cpx and negatively correlate with temperature and water content in the melt. r ₀ is negatively correlated with Al in M1 site (Al^M1) and Mg^M2 in cpx. And E is positively correlated with r ₀. During adiabatic melting of spinel lherzolite, temperature, Al ^T , and Mg^M2 in cpx all decrease systematically as a function of pressure or degree of melting. The competing effects between temperature and cpx composition result in very small variations in REE partition coefficients along a mantle adiabat. A higher potential temperature (1,400°C) gives rise to REE partition coefficients slightly lower than those at a lower potential temperature (1,300°C) because the temperature effect overwhelms the compositional effect. A set of constant REE partition coefficients therefore may be used to accurately model REE fractionation during partial melting of spinel lherzolite along a mantle adiabat. As cpx has low Al and Mg abundances at high temperature during melting in the garnet stability field, REE are more incompatible in cpx. Heavy REE depletion in the melt may imply deep melting of a hydrous garnet lherzolite. Water-dependent cpx partition coefficients need to be considered for modeling low-degree hydrous melting.     

Patterns in the hydrogen and trace element compositions of mantle olivines

 The concentrations of hydrogen and the other trace elements in olivines from mantle xenoliths have been determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for clarifying the incorporation mechanism and the behavior of the hydrogen. The hydrogen contents in olivines from mantle xenoliths range from 10 to 60 ppm wt. H₂O and the concentration range is consistent with the previous infrared (IR) spectroscopic data. IR spectra of the olivine crystals show no effects of the weathering or secondary alteration. The hydrogen is distributed homogeneously among olivine grains in each mantle xenolith. However, the hydrogen contents of the olivine crystals are less than those for the olivine phenocrysts crystallized from the host magma. Olivine inclusions in diamonds also show similar hydrogen contents to the xenolithic olivines. Thus the hydrogen content of xenolithic olivines does not attain equilibrium with water in the host magma during the transportation from the Earth's mantle to the surface, and is taken as a reflection of the hydrogen condition in the mantle. Correlations of hydrogen with trivalent cation contents in garnet peridotitic olivines indicate the incorporation of hydrogen into mantle olivines by a coupled substitution mechanism, with the hydrogen present in the form of hydroxyl in oxygen positions adjacent to the M site vacancies. The hydrogen content of xenolithic olivines increases with pressure but decreases with increasing temperature, suggesting importance of olivine as a water reservoir at low temperature regions such as in subducting slabs. Received August 15, 1995/Revised, accepted November 19, 1996     

Geochemistry of Dharwar ultramafics and the Archaean mantle

Geochemical and petrological studies on serpentinised ultramafics of Kadakola, Mysore State, India, indicate that the Archaean mantle beneath the Indian Shield was of peridotitic in nature. This protomantle in the Archaean period was undifferentiated with higher concentrations of siderophile and transitional elements.     

Rare earth element geochemistry and Rb-Sr geochronology of Archaean stromatolitic cherts of the Dharwar craton, south India

Stromatolites associated with cherty dolomites of the Vanivilaspura Formation of the Archaean Dharwar Supergroup show a morphology indicative of the deposition of the latter in a intertidal to subtidal environment. The cherts are moderately high in their Al/Al + Fe ratios but depleted in Fe₂C₃ and also most trace elements. Unlike most other Archaean cherts, the Vanivilaspur cherts exhibit significant negative Ce anomaly, which is interpreted to have resulted from contemporary manganese deposition. The Rb/Sr ratios in the cherts show a sufficient spread to define a linear correlation line in the Rb-Sr evolution diagram corresponding to an age of 2512 ± 159 Ma and initial Sr ratio of 0.7128 ± 0.0012 (2σ). While this age is strikingly close to that of regional metamorphism in the Dharwar craton, the initial ratio is distinctly higher than that of the associated volcanics. Acid leaching experiments on the cherts suggest that they may have been isotopically equilibrated on a mm to cm scale about 500 Ma later than the time of regional metamorphism.     

Late Archaean crust-mantle interactions: geochemistry of LREE-enriched mantle derived magmas. Example of the Closepet batholith,southern India

The Closepet batholith in South India is generally considered as a typical crustal granite emplaced 2.5 Ga ago and derived through partial melting of the surrounding Peninsular Gneisses (3.3 to 3.0 Ga). In the field, it appears as a composite batholith made up of at least two groups of intrusions. (a) An early SiO₂-poor group (clinopyroxene quartz-monzonite and porphyritic phyritic monzogranite) is located in the central part of the batholith. These rocks display a narrow range in both initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7017–0.7035) and _Nd(–0.9to –4.1). (b) A later SiO₂-rich group (equigranular grey and pink granites) is located along the interface between the SiO₂-poor group and the Peninsular Gneisses. They progressively grade into migmatised Peninsular Gneisses, thus indicating their anatectic derivation. Their isotopic characteristics vary over a wide range (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios=0.7028–0.7336 and _Nd values from-2.7 to-8.3, at 2.52 Ga). Field and geochronological evidence shows that the two groups are broadly contemporaneous (2.518–2.513 Ga) and mechanically mixed. This observation is supported by the chemical data that display well defined mixing trends in the _Sr vs _Nd and elemental variation diagrams. The continuous chemical variation of the two magmatic bodies is interpreted in terms of interaction and mixing of two unrelated end-members derived from different source regions (enriched peridotitic mantle and Peninsular Gneisses). It is proposed that the intrusion of mantle-derived magmas into mid-crustal levels occurred along a transcurrent shear zone; these magmas supplied additional heat and fluids that initiated anatexis of the surrounding crust. During this event, large-scale mixing occurred between mantle and crustal melts, thus generating the composite Closepet batholith. The mantle-derived magmatism is clearly associated with granulite facies metamorphism 2.51±0.01 Ga ago. Both are interpreted as resulting from a major crustal accretion event, possibly related to mantle plume activity.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Proterozoic dykes in Tamil nadu, southern India: another example of the Archaean lithospheric mantle source

Approximately 1650-Ma-old NW/SE and NE/SW-trending dolerite dykes in the Tiruvannamalai (TNM) area and approximately 1800-Ma-old NW/SE-trending dolerite dykes in the Dharmapuri (DP) area constitute major Proterozoic dyke swarms in the high-grade granulite region of Tamil nadu, southern India. The NW- and NE-trending TNM dykes are compositionally very similar and can be regarded as having been formed during a single magmatic episode. The DP dykes may relate to an earlier similar magmatic episode. The dolerites are Fe-rich tholeiites and most of the elemental variations can be explained in terms of fractional crystallisation. Clinopyroxene and olivine are the inferred ferromagnesian fractionation phases followed by plagioclase during the late fractionation stages. All the studied dykes have, similar to many continental flood basalts (CFB), large-ion lithophile element (LILE) and light rare-earth element (LREE) enrichment and Nb and Ta depletion. The incompatible element abundance patterns are comparable to the patterns of many other Proterozoic dykes in India and Antarctica, to the late Archaean (～2.72 Ga) Dominion volcanics in South Africa and to the early Proterozoic (～2.0 Ga) Scourie dykes of Scotland. The geochemical characteristics of the TNM and DP dykes cannot be explained by crustal contamination alone. Instead, they are consistent with derivation from an enriched lithospheric mantle source which appears to have been developed much earlier than the dyke intrusions during a major crustal building event in the Archaean. The dyke magmas may have been formed by dehydration melting induced by decompression and lithospheric attenuation or plume impingement at the base of the lithosphere. These magmas, compared with CFB, appear to be the minor partial melts from plume heads of smaller diameter and of shallow origin (650 km). Therefore, the Proterozoic thermal events could induce crustal attenuation and dyke intrusions in contrast to the extensive CFB volcanism and continental rifting generally associated with the Phanerozoic plumes of larger head diameter (>1000 km) and of deeper origin (at crust mantle boundary).     

Major element composition of concentrate garnets in Proterozoic kimberlites from the Eastern Dharwar Craton,India: Implications on sub-continental lithospheric mantle

This study examines the major element composition of mantle-derived garnets recovered from heavy mineral concentrates of several Proterozoic kimberlites of the diamondiferous Wajrakarur Kimberlite Field (WKF) and the almost barren Narayanpet Kimberlite Field (NKF) in the Eastern Dharwar Craton of southern India. Concentrate garnets are abundant in the WKF kimberlites, and notably rare in the NKF kimberlites. Chemical characteristics of the pyropes indicate that the lithology of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath both the kimberlite fields was mainly lherzolitic at the time of kimberlite eruption. A subset of green pyropes from the WKF is marked by high CaO and Cr₂O₃ contents, which imply contribution from a wehrlitic source. The lithological information on SCLM, when studied alongside geobarometry of lherzolite and harzburgite xenoliths, indicates that there are thin layers of harzburgite within a dominantly lherzolitic mantle in the depth interval of 115–190 km beneath the WKF. In addition, wehrlite and olivine clinopyroxenite occur locally in the depth range of 120–130 km. Mantle geotherm derived from xenoliths constrains the depth of graphite–diamond transition to 155 km beneath the kimberlite fields. Diamond in the WKF thus could have been derived from both lherzolitic and harzburgitic lithologies below this depth. The rarity of diamond and garnet xenocrysts in the NKF strongly suggest sampling of shallower (<155 km depth) mantle, and possibly a shallower source of kimberlite magma than at the WKF.     

Evolution of major mineral compositions and trace element abundances during fractional crystallization of a model lunar composition

The evolution of major mineral compositions and trace element abundances during fractional crystallization of a model lunar magma ocean have been calculated. A lunar bulk composition consistent with petrological constraints has been selected. Major mineral compositions have been calculated using published studies of olivine-melt, plagioclase-melt, and pyroxene-olivine equilibria. Trace element abundances have been calculated using experimentally-determined partition coefficients where possible. In the absence of experimental determinations, published partition coefficients obtained by analyzing phase separates from porphyritic volcanic rocks have been used. Trace elements studied are La, Sm, Eu, Lu, Rb, Sr( Eu²⁺), Ni, Co, and Cr.The first mineral to crystallize is olivine, which varies in composition from Fo₉₈ at the liquidus to Fo₉₅ at 50% solidification. Orthopyroxene crystallizes from 50 to 60% solidification with a restricted composition range of En₉₅-En₉₃. Plagioclase and Ca-rich clinopyroxene (X_Wo arbitrarily set equal to 0.5) co-crystallize during the final 40% solidification. Plagioclase changes in composition from An₉₇ to approximately An₉₃, while clinopyroxene evolves from En₄₆ to approximately En₄₀. The concomitant evolution of major element abundances in the melt is also discussed.The concentration of Ni in the melt decreases rapidly because solid-melt partition coefficients are significantly greater than unity at all stages of crystallization. The concentration of Cr in the melt increases slowly during olivine crystallization, then drops precipitously during the crystallization of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The concentration of Co in the melt decreases slowly during olivine and orthopyroxene crystallization, after which it returns slowly to its initial concentration. Rubidium and Sr are not fractionated relative to one another until the onset of plagioclase crystallization. Ratios of Rb/Sr, normalized to their initial concentrations in the magma, do not rise above 10 until 95% of the magma has solidified. The ratios of Eu/Sm and La/Lu, normalized to their initial concentrations in the magma, remain essentially unfractionated until the onset of crystallization of clinopyroxene plus plagioclase, at which point the normalized La/Lu ratio increases to approximately 1.3 at 100% solidification and the normalized Eu/Sm ratio decreases to approximately 0.2 at 100% solidification.The model calculations are used to place approximate constraints on the bulk composition of the primitive Moon. Consideration of the effect on plagioclase composition of the activities of NaO_0.5 and SiO₂ in the melt suggests that the primitive Moon contained less than 0.4 wt % NaO_0.5 and approximately 42–43 wt % SiO₂. Concentrations of the REE in model lunar anorthosites are consistent with the returned samples. Concentrations of the REE in several model ‘highland basalts’ (considered to be representative of the average lunar terrae) are too low when compared with returned samples. Several possible explanations of this discrepancy are considered. The possible role of spinel in a twostage geochemical evolution of mare basalt liquids is discussed.     

Experimental comparison of trace element partitioning between clinopyroxene and melt in carbonate and silicate systems, and implications for mantle metasomatism

Experiments in the systems diopside-albite (Di-Ab) and diopside-albite-dolomite (Di-Ab-Dmt), doped with a wide range of trace elements, have been used to characterise the difference between clinopyroxene-silicate melt and clinopyroxene-carbonate melt partitioning. Experiments in Di-Ab-Dmt yielded clinopyroxene and olivine in equilibrium with CO₂-saturated dolomitic carbonate melt at 3 GPa, 1375 °C. The experiments in Di-Ab were designed to bracket those conditions (3 GPa, 1640 °C and 0.8 GPa, 1375 °C), and so minimise the contribution of differential temperature and pressure to partitioning. Partition coefficients, determined by SIMS analysis of run products, differ markedly for some elements between Di-Ab and Di-Ab-Dmt systems. Notably, in the carbonate system clinopyroxene-melt partition coefficients for Si, Al, Ga, heavy REE, Ti and Zr are higher by factors of 5 to 200 than in the silicate system. Conversely, partition coefficients for Nb, light REE, alkali metals and alkaline earths show much less fractionation (<3). The observed differences compare quantitatively with experimental data on partitioning between immiscible carbonate and silicate melts, indicating that changes in melt chemistry provide the dominant control on variation in partition coefficients in this case. The importance of melt chemistry in controlling several aspects of element partitioning is discussed in light of the energetics of the partitioning process. The compositions of clinopyroxene and carbonate melt in our experiments closely match those of near-solidus melts and crystals in CMAS-CO₂ at 3 GPa, suggesting that our partition coefficients have direct relevance to melting of carbonated mantle lherzolite. Melts so produced will be characterised by elevated incompatible trace element concentrations, due to the low degrees of melting involved, but marked depletions of Ti and Zr, and fractionated REE patterns. These are common features of natural carbonatites. The different behaviour of trace elements in carbonate and silicate systems will lead to contrasted styles of trace element metasomatism in the mantle. Received: 15 July 1999 / Accepted: 18 February 2000     

Major and trace element geochemistry in upper Ganga river in the Himalayas, India

Chemical weathering and resulting water compositions in the upper Ganga river in the Himalayas were studied. For the first time, temporal and spatial sampling for a 1 year period (monthly intervals) was carried out and analyzed for dissolved major elements, trace elements, Rare Earth Elements (REE), and strontium isotopic compositions. Amounts of physical and chemical loads show large seasonal variations and the overall physical load dominates over chemical load by a factor of more than three. The dominant physical weathering is also reflected in high quartz and illite/mica contents in suspended sediments. Large seasonal variations also occur in major elemental concentrations. The water type is categorized as HCO₃^––SO₄^2––Ca²⁺ dominant, which constitute >60% of the total water composition. On an average, only about 5–12% of HCO₃^– is derived from silicate lithology, indicating the predominance of carbonate lithology in water chemistry in the head waters of the Ganga river. More than 80% Na⁺ and K⁺ are derived from silicate lithology. The silicate lithology is responsible for the release of low Sr with extremely radiogenic Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶ Sr>0.75) in Bhagirathi at Devprayag. However, there is evidence for other end-member lithologies for Sr other than carbonate and silicate lithology. Trace elements concentrations do not indicate any pollution, although presence of arsenic could be a cause for concern. High uranium mobilization from silicate rocks is also observed. The REE is much less compared to other major world rivers such as the Amazon, perhaps because in the present study, only samples filtered through <0.2 m were analysed. Negative Eu anomalies in suspended sediments is due to the excess carbonate rock weathering in the source area.     

Fluid-mobile trace element constraints on the role of slab melting and implications for Archaean crustal growth models

We use published and new trace element data to identify element ratios which discriminate between arc magmas from the supra-subduction zone mantle wedge and those formed by direct melting of subducted crust (i.e. adakites). The clearest distinction is obtained with those element ratios which are strongly fractionated during refertilisation of the depleted mantle wedge, ultimately reflecting slab dehydration. Hence, adakites have significantly lower Pb/Nd and B/Be but higher Nb/Ta than typical arc magmas and continental crust as a whole. Although Li and Be are also overenriched in continental crust, behaviour of Li/Yb and Be/Nd is more complex and these ratios do not provide unique signatures of slab melting. Archaean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs) strongly resemble ordinary mantle wedge-derived arc magmas in terms of fluid-mobile trace element content, implying that they did not form by slab melting but that they originated from mantle which was hydrated and enriched in elements lost from slabs during prograde dehydration. We suggest that Archaean TTGs formed by extensive fractional crystallisation from a mafic precursor. It is widely claimed that the time between the creation and subduction of oceanic lithosphere was significantly shorter in the Archaean (i.e. 20 Ma) than it is today. This difference was seen as an attractive explanation for the presumed preponderance of adakitic magmas during the first half of Earth's history. However, when we consider the effects of a higher potential mantle temperature on the thickness of oceanic crust, it follows that the mean age of oceanic lithosphere has remained virtually constant. Formation of adakites has therefore always depended on local plate geometry and not on potential mantle temperature.     

Trace element chemistry of major rivers in Orissa State, India

 Geochemical analyses of surface waters from rivers flowing through Orissa State, India, indicated that trace element concentrations were extremely variable and consistently higher than world river average. The Brahmani River was the most solute-rich river studied, followed by the Baitarani and Mahanadi Rivers. Although all three rivers drain similar geology, the Brahmani River catchment is heavily industrialized, and water samples collected upstream and downstream from industries indicated that anthropogenic activity directly influenced its chemical composition. Samples collected from several towns, in all three river systems, did not invariably show similar patterns, with various elements having higher dissolved concentrations upstream. Because the concentration of total solids increased downstream, this implied that some components of the sewage had effectively sequestered available elements from solution and converted them to particulate material. Although the impact of pollution is clearly recognizable in water samples collected in proximity to the anthropogenic source, there are only slight elemental accumulations in the lower reaches of the Mahanadi River, with no accumulation in the Brahmani River. Apparently for these large rivers, discharged effluent becomes rapidly diluted, while complexation and sedimentation further removes trace elements from the water column. However, in the less voluminous Baitarani River, elementar enrichment near the river's mouth suggests that in this secondary river, where dilution effects are less, the concerns over regional water quality may be more prevalent. Received: 1 April 1995 · Accepted: 30 August 1995     

新疆小红山铜矿黄铁矿微量和稀土元素地球化学特征

小红山铜矿位于阿勒泰塔拉特-大东沟-莫尤勒特金属成矿带中,是与英安质-流纹质火山活动相关的铜矿床。文章利用黄铁矿中的稀土元素、微量元素组成示踪了该矿床成矿物质及成矿流体的来源和性质。研究结果表明小红山铜矿黄铁矿和霏细岩稀土元素总量较高,黄铁矿ΣREE总量均值为168.81×10~(-6),霏细岩略低,ΣREE总量均值为154.10×10~(-6);黄铁矿和霏细岩样品稀土配分模式均为明显右倾的轻稀土富集模式,轻稀土分异较强、而重稀土元素分异较弱;黄铁矿具明显δEu负异常、而δCe无明显异常,表明该矿床产出于具还原性的活动大陆边缘环境,并在后期遭受变质热液的叠加改造。矿床黄铁矿富集LREE,亏损HFSE,Hf/Sm、Nb/La和Th/La比值小于1,推断小红山铜矿床成矿流体为富Cl流体。黄铁矿杂质元素Co/Ni比值表明,矿床成因以变质热液为主,矿床形成于中温。Y/Ho比值示踪成矿流体表明,矿床成矿流体与弧后盆地的成矿热液相似,黄铁矿与霏细岩Y/Ho比值的高度相似性也为围岩(霏细岩)提供了部分成矿物质或两者都受到了相同成矿热液的影响提供了新的证据。     

Migration and contamination of major and trace elements in groundwater of Madras city,India

Groundwater samples collected from both open and bore wells in an area of about 270 km² from Madras City, India, have been analyzed for major ions (HCO₃, Cl, Si, Na, Ca, and Mg) and trace elements (As, Se, B, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Mn, Ni, Mo, and Ba). The study reveals that the quality of potable water has deteriorated to a large extent. Seawater intrusion into the aquifer has been observed in nearly 50 percent of the study area. The toxic elements (As and Se) have already exceeded the maximum permissible limits of drinking water in almost the entire city. A positive correlation of As and Se with other toxic metals such as V, Cr, Fe, B, etc., indicates that all these elements are anthropogenic in origin. Applying multivariate analysis, the source for trace elements in groundwater has been grouped into two major factors: pollution and mobilization factors. The groundwater in the study area is largely contaminated by organic effluents and reflects the intensity of pollution caused by the overlying soil sediment and rapid infiltration of the pollutants.     

Rb-Sr ages of Precambrian dolerite and alkaline dikes,southeast Mysore state,India

Rb-Sr isochron ages have been determined for two suites of Precambrian dikes in the Bidadi-Harohalli area of southeast Mysore State. Whole-rock samples of unmetamorphosed dolerites yield an age of 2420±246 (2σ) m.y., which is a minimum value for the intruded Peninsular Gneiss and Closepet Granite. The dolerite magma originated in the mantle, as indicated by the initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7012±0.0010 (2σ). A suite of alkaline dikes, also referred to as felsite and feldspar porphyry dikes, has an age of 832±40 (2σ) m.y., which correlates with the intrusion of the Chamundi Hill Granite and the feldspar porphyry dikes near Srirangapatnam. One of the alkaline dikes has a K-Ar age of 810±25 m.y., indicating an absence of subsequent thermal events in the area.     

The Central Bundelkhand Archaean greenstone complex,Bundelkhand craton,central India: geology,composition, and geochronology of supracrustal rocks

Analysis of 3.3 Ga tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) series granitoids and greenstone belt assemblages from the Bundelkhand craton in central India reveal that it is a typical Archaean craton. At least two greenstone complexes can be recognized in the Bundelkhand craton, namely the (i) Central Bundelkhand (Babina, Mauranipur belts) and (ii) Southern Bundelkhand (Girar, Madaura belts). The Central Bundelkhand greenstone complex contains three tectonostratigraphic assemblages: (1) metamorphosed basic or metabasic, high-Mg rocks; (2) banded iron formations (BIFs); and (3) felsic volcanics. The first two assemblages are regarded as representing an earlier sequence, which is in tectonic contact with the felsic volcanics. However, the contact between the BIFs and mafic volcanics is also evidently tectonic. Metabasic high-Mg rocks are represented by amphibolites and tremolite-actinolite schists in the Babina greenstone belt and are comparable in composition to tholeiitic basalts-basaltic andesites and komatiites. They are very similar to the metabasic high-Mg rocks of the Mauranipur greenstone belt. Felsic volcanics occur as fine-grained schists with phenocrysts of quartz, albite, and microcline. Felsic volcanics are classified as calc-alkaline dacites, less commonly rhyolites. The chondrite-normalized rare earth element distribution pattern is poorly fractionated (La_N/Lu_N = 11–16) with a small negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.68–0.85), being characteristic of volcanics formed in a subduction setting. On Rb – Y + Nb, Nb – Y, Rb – Ta + Yb and Ta – Yb discrimination diagrams, the compositions of the volcanics are also consistent with those of felsic rocks formed in subduction settings. SHRIMP-dating of zircon from the felsic volcanics of the Babina belt of the Central Bundelkhand greenstone complex, performed for the first time, has shown that they were erupted in Neoarchaean time (2542 ± 17 Ma). The early sequence of the Babina belt is correlatable with the rocks of the Mauranipur belt, whose age is tentatively estimated as Mesoarchaean. The Central Bundelkhand greenstone complex consists of two (Meso- and Neoarchaean) sequences, which were formed in subduction settings.     

Stagnant lids and mantle overturns:Implications for Archaean tectonics,magmagenesis,crustal growth,mantle evolution,and the start of plate tectonics

The lower plate is the dominant agent in modern convergent margins characterized by active subduction,as negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere sinks into the asthenosphere under its own weight.This is a strong plate-driving force because the slab-pull force is transmitted through the stiff sub-oceanic lithospheric mantle.As geological and geochemical data seem inconsistent with the existence of modernstyle ridges and arcs in the Archaean,a periodically-destabilized stagnant-lid crust system is proposed instead.Stagnant-lid intervals may correspond to periods of layered mantle convection where efficient cooling was restricted to the upper mantle,perturbing Earth's heat generation/loss balance,eventually triggering mantle overturns.Archaean basalts were derived from fertile mantle in overturn upwelling zones(OUZOs),which were larger and longer-lived than post-Archaean plumes.Early cratons/continents probably formed above OUZOs as large volumes of basalt and komatiite were delivered for protracted periods,allowing basal crustal cannibalism,garnetiferous crustal restite delamination,and coupled development of continental crust and sub-continental lithospheric mantle.Periodic mixing and rehomogenization during overturns retarded development of isotopically depleted MORB(mid-ocean ridge basalt)mantle.Only after the start of true subduction did sequestration of subducted slabs at the coremantle boundary lead to the development of the depleted MORB mantle source.During Archaean mantle overturns,pre-existing continents located above OUZOs would be strongly reworked;whereas OUZOdistal continents would drift in response to mantle currents.The leading edge of drifting Archaean continents would be convergent margins characterized by terrane accretion,imbrication,subcretion and anatexis of unsubductable oceanic lithosphere.As Earth cooled and the background oceanic lithosphere became denser and stiffer,there would be an increasing probability that oceanic crustal segments could founder in an organized way,producing a gradual evolution of pre-subduction convergent margins into modern-style active subduction systems around 2.5 Ga.Plate tectonics today is constituted of:(1)a continental drift system that started in the Early Archaean,driven by deep mantle currents pressing against the Archaean-age sub-continental lithospheric mantle keels that underlie Archaean cratons;(2)a subduction-driven system that started near the end of the Archaean.     

Global warming of the mantle beneath continents back to the Archaean

Throughout its history, the Earth has experienced global magmatic events that correlate with the formation of supercontinents. This suggests that the distribution of continents at the Earth's surface is fundamental in regulating mantle temperature. Nevertheless, most large igneous provinces (LIPs) are explained in terms of the interaction of a hot plume with the lithosphere, even though some do not show evidence for such a mechanism. The aggregation of continents impacts on the temperature and flow of the underlying mantle through thermal insulation and enlargement of the convection wavelength. Both processes tend to increase the temperature below the continental lithosphere, eventually triggering melting events without the involvement of hot plumes. This model, called mantle global warming, has been tested using 3D numerical simulations of mantle convection [Coltice, N., Phillips, B.R., Bertrand, H., Ricard, Y., Rey, P. (2007) Global warming of the mantle at the origin of flood basalts over supercontinents. Geology 35, 391–394.]. Here, we apply this model to several continental flood basalts (CFBs) ranging in age from the Mesozoic to the Archaean. Our numerical simulations show that the mantle global warming model could account for the peculiarities of magmatic provinces that developed during the formation of Pangea and Rodinia, as well as putative Archaean supercontinents such as Kenorland and Zimvaalbara.     

Young basalts of the central Washington Cascades, flux melting of the mantle, and trace element signatures of primary arc magmas

Basaltic lavas from the Three Sisters and Dalles Lakes were erupted from two isolated vents in the central Washington Cascades at 370–400 ka and 2.2 Ma, respectively, and have distinct trace element compositions that exemplify an important and poorly understood feature of arc basalts. The Three Sisters lavas are calc-alkaline basalts (CAB) with trace element compositions typical of most arc magmas: high ratios of large-ion-lithophile to high-field-strength elements (LILE/HFSE), and strong negative Nb and Ta anomalies. In contrast, the Dalles Lakes lavas have relatively low LILE/HFSE and no Nb or Ta anomalies, similar to ocean-island basalts (OIB). Nearly all Washington Cascade basalts with high to moderate incompatible element concentrations show this CAB or OIB-like compositional distinction, and there is pronounced divergence between the two magma types with a large compositional gap between them. We show that this trace element distinction can be easily explained by a simple model of flux-melting of the mantle wedge by a fluid-rich subduction component (SC), in which the degree of melting (F) of the peridotite source is correlated with the amount of SC added to it. Distinctive CAB and OIB-like trace element compositions are best explained by a flux-melting model in which dF/dSC decreases with increasing F, consistent with isenthalpic (heat-balanced) melting. In the context of this model, CAB trace element signatures simply reflect large degrees of melting of strongly SC-fluxed peridotite along relatively low dF/dSC melting trends, consistent with derivation from relatively cold mantle. Under other conditions (i.e., small degrees of melting or large degrees of melting of weakly SC-fluxed peridotite [high dF/dSC]), either OIB- or MORB (mid-ocean ridge basalt)-like compositions are produced. Trace element and isotopic compositions of Washington Cascade basalts are easily modeled by a correlation between SC and F across a range of mantle temperatures. This implies that the dominant cause of arc magmatism in this region is flux melting of the mantle wedge. Received: 2 March 1999 / Accepted: 18 August 1999