Strontium isotope studies on young volcanic rocks from Germany and Italy

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of Tertiary tholeiitic, basalts alkali olivine basalts and olivine nephelinites from Lower Saxony and Hessia and Quaternary leucite-nepheline tephrites from the Laacher See area are similar to those obtained from Hawaii and range from 0.7031 to 0.7054. Three trachytes and one phonolite from the Westerwald and one phonolite from the Laacher See area have higher values (0.7063 to 0.7093). Three Vesuvian lavas, three Somma lavas and two trachytes of the Phlegraic Fields show substantially higher ratios than the comparable basaltic rocks from N.W. Germany (0.7071 to 0.7102). Three peridotite nodules vary between 0.7048 and 0.7081. Three limestone composites of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age show values between 0.7129 and 0.7174.The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the trachytes and phonolites from the Westerwald and Laacher See area are probably influenced by crustal material. Assimilation processes of limestones producing the olivine-nephelinites from N.W. Germany seem to be unlikely. A discussion of the origin of the Sr ratios in Vesuvian rocks and of mantle homogeneity is included.     

Geochemical evidence for melting of carbonated peridotite on Santa Maria Island, Azores

The islands of the Azores archipelago emerge from an oceanic plateau built on lithosphere increasing in age with distance from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from 10 to 45 Ma. Here, we present the first comprehensive major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data from Santa Maria, the easternmost island of the archipelago, along with published data from the other Azores islands situated much closer to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge axis. We can show that the distinctively more variable and more enriched trace element ratios at Santa Maria combined with a relatively small range in Sr–Nd–Pb isotope ratios are the result of low degrees of partial melting of a common Azores mantle plume source underneath thicker lithosphere. This implies that melt extraction processes and melting dynamics may be able to better preserve the trace element mantle source variability underneath thicker lithosphere. These conclusions may apply widely for oceanic melts erupted on relatively thick lithosphere. In addition, lower Ti/Sm and K/La ratios and SiO₂ contents of Santa Maria lavas imply melting of a carbonated peridotite source. Mixing of variable portions of deep small-degree carbonated peridotite melts and shallow volatile-free garnet peridotite could explain the geochemical variability underneath Santa Maria in agreement with the volatile-rich nature of the Azores mantle source. However, Santa Maria is the Azores island where the CO₂-rich nature of the mantle source is more evident, reflecting a combination of a smaller extent of partial melting and the positioning at the edge of the tilted Azores mantle plume.     

Subduction—Modified Subcontinental Mantle in South China：Trace Element and Isotope Evidence in Basalts from Hainan Island

Cenozoic lavas from Hainan Island,South China,comprise quartz tholeiite,olivine tholeiite,alkali basalt,and basanite and form a continuous,tholeiite-dominated,compositional spectrum.Highly incompatible elements and their relationships with isotopes in these lavas are shown to be useful in evaluating mantle-source composition,whereas modeling suggests that ratios of elements with bulk partition coefficients significantly larger than those of Nb and Ta may be sensitive to partial melting.Th/Ta and La/Nb ratios of alkali basalts are lower than those of tholeiites,and they are all lower than those of the primitive mantle,These ratios correlate positively with ^207Pb/^204Pb and ^87Sr/^86Sr ratios.Such relationships can be explained by mixing of depleted and enriched source components.A depleted component is indicated by alkali basalt compositions and is similar to some depleted OIB (PREMA).The enriched component,similar to sediment compositions,is indicated by tholeiites with high LILE/HFSE,^207Pb/^204Pb,and ^87Sr/^86Sr ratios.In general,basalts from Hainan and the South China Basin(SCB)share common geochemical characters.e.g.high Rb/Sr,Th/Ta,^207Pb/^206Pb,and low Ba/Th ratios.Such a geochemical trend is comparable to that of EMII-type OIB and best explained as the result of subduction.Occurrence of these characteristics in both continental Hainan basalts and SCB seamout basalts indicates the presence of a South China geochemical domain that exists in the mantle region below the lithosphere.     

Petrogenesis of lavas from the AMAR Valley and Narrowgate region of the FAMOUS Valley, 36°–37°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Basaltic lavas from the AMAR Valley and the Narrowgate region of the FAMOUS Valley on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (36° to 37°?N) range in texture from aphyric to highly plagioclase phyric (>25% large plagioclase phenocrysts). Based on ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios, most of these lavas can be subdivided into two distinct, isotopically homogeneous, groups: Group I has lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70288±1) and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51312±1) ratios; Group II has higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70296±1) and lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51309±2) ratios. Most Group II lavas are aphyric, whereas Group I lavas are primarily plagioclase phyric. Lavas from both groups show a wide range in incompatible element abundance ratios (e.g., Zr/Nb =6–29; (La/Sm)_n=0.6–1.7). Aphyric lavas have relatively constant Sc (40±1.5?ppm) abundances and CaO/Al₂O₃ ratios (0.80±0.02). Group I lavas are confined primarily to the AMAR rift valley floor whereas Group II lavas are found along the east and west marginal highs. We interpret the isotopic differences between the two groups as reflecting a temporal change in the upwelling mantle beneath this region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is south of the Azore Islands. For each group, a petrogenetic model consistent with the geochemical data is multi-stage decompression melting of an initially enriched, homogeneous, mantle source region. If the early derived, incompatible-element enriched, melt increments are not always pooled with subsequent increments, the erupted magma batches may have the major element characteristics of melts derived by 10 to 20% melting, but with incompatible element abundance ratios reflecting the change from an enriched to depleted source during the incremental melting process. In this process an initially homogeneous source can generate primary magmas with the required range in incompatible element abundance ratios shown by each group. The nearly constant CaO/Al₂O₃ ratios and Sc contents of the aphyric lavas with decreasing Mg?? reflects subsequent polybaric fractionation of clinopyroxene, plagioclase and olivine over the pressure interval 8–6?kbar (24–18?km), followed by rapid transport to the surface and eruption. There is no geochemical evidence for a crustal magma chamber beneath this section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.     

Magma genesis and crustal contamination of continental intraplate lavas in northwestern Syria

The Miocene to Quaternary lavas of northwestern Syria range from basanite, alkali basalts, and tholeiites to basaltic andesites, hawaiites, and mugearites. Crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization processes (AFC) modified the composition of the mantle derived magmas. Crustal assimilation is indicated by decreasing Nb/U (52.8–17.9) and increasing Pb/Nd (0.09–0.21) and by variable isotopic compositions of the lavas (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7036–0.7048, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd: 0.51294–0.51269, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 18.98–18.60) throughout the differentiation. Modeling of the AFC processes indicates that the magmas have assimilated up to 25% of continental upper crust. The stratigraphy of the lavas reveals decreasing degrees and increasing depths of melting with time and the strongly fractionated heavy rare earth elements indicate melt generation in the garnet stability field. Modeling of melt formation based on trace element contents suggests that 8–10% melting of the asthenospheric mantle source produced the tholeiites, whereas basanite and alkali basalts are formed by 2–4% melting of a similar source.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Early Cenozoic volcanism of the Kolyuchin-Mechigmen graben, Chukotka Peninsula

The paper reports new isotope-geochemical data on Late Paleocene-Early Eocene basalts from the central part of the Kolyuchin-Mechigmen graben, eastern Chukotka Peninsula. The distribution of the major and trace elements and trace-element ratios indicates that the basalts were formed in a marginal-continental rift setting. The peculiar feature of the basalts is a combination of depleted within-plate and suprasubduction geochemical signatures, which make the volcanic rocks from Mt. Otdel’naya different from rocks of suprasubduction volcanic belts and from tholeiites and alkaline lavas of continental rifts and oceanic islands. Extremely high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the studied basalts as compared to those of similar volcanic rocks from extension zones are probably related to the involvement of carbonate material in the magma generation zone.     

A high 87Sr86Sr mantle source for low alkali tholeiite,northern Great Basin

Olivine tholeiites, the youngest Tertiary units (about 8–11 m.y. old) at five widely spaced localities in northeastern Nevada, are geologically related to the basalts of the Snake River Plain, Idaho, to the north and are similar in major element and alkali chemistry to mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and island arc tholeiites. The measured K (1250–3350 ppm), Rb (1·9–6·2 ppm) and Sr (140–240 ppm) concentrations overlap the range reported for MORB. Three of the five samples have low, unfractionated rare earth element (REE) patterns, the other two show moderate light-REE enrichment. Barium concentration is high and variable (100–780 ppm) and does not correlate with the other LIL elements. The rocks have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0·7052–0·7076, considerably higher than MORB (~0·702–0·703). These samples are chemically distinct (i.e. less alkalic) from the olivine tholeiites from the adjacent Snake River Plain, but their Sr isotopic compositions are similar. They contain Sr that is distinctly more radiogenic than the basalts from the adjacent Great Basin. About 10 b.y. would be required for the mean measured Rb/Sr (~ 0·02) of these samples to generate, in a closed system, the radiogenic Sr they contain. The low alkali content of these basalts makes crustal contamination an unlikely mechanism. If the magma is uncontaminated, the time-averaged Rb/Sr of the source material must have been ~0·04. A significant decrease in Rb/Sr of the source material (a factor 2?) thus most probably occurred in the relatively recent (1?0⁹ yr) past. Such a decrease of Rb/Sr in the mantle could accompany alkali depletion produced by an episode of partial melting and magma extraction. In contrast, low ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ ratios indicate that the source material of the mid-ocean ridge basalts may have been depleted early in the Earth's history.     

Nature and Development of Basalt Magma Sources Beneath Iceland and the Reykjanes Ridge

Twelve new Sr-isotope analyses and seventeen new rare earthelement distribution patterns are reported for basalts fromIceland and the Reykjanes Ridge, together with Rb, Sr, Na₂O,K₂O, TiO₂, and P₂O₅ contents. The samples were chosen to representthe widest range of basalt types known from the Iceland-ReykjanesRidge system. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.70291 ?4 to 0.70325?5 for tholeiitesand up to 0.70341 ?7 for alkali basalt. Rare earth elementsalso show a wide range of both total abundance and degree oflight-REE fractionation (chondrite-normalised Ce/Yb ratios of0.30 to 3.36 for tholeiites and up to 7.07 for alkali basalt).As found in previous studies of either Sr-isotope compositionor REE distribution, the ocean floor basalts from the southernportion of the Reykjanes Ridge have lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Ce_N/Yb_Nratios than most of the Icelandic basalts. However, some highlyMg-rich tholeiites from Theistareykir in northern Iceland andKj?lur in central Iceland also have among the lowest valuesfor these parameters and are indistinguishable in this respectfrom the ridge basalts. There is a very strong positive, linear,correlation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Ce_N/Yb_N for all the tholeiitesincluding some up to 16 m.y. old, but this relationship doesnot hold for the alkali basalts which have proportionately farhigher Ce_N/Yb_N ratios. There is also a positive, linear, correlationbetween ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Sr content, but not between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Srand 1/Sr. These relationships are found to be incompatible with disequilibriummelting of a single mantle source region, whether by variabledegrees of partial melting with different mineral stabilityconditions, or by removal of successive incremental melts. Itis certain that the data reflect relatively gross chemical heterogeneityin the upper mantle beneath Iceland, but the correlation withSr content apparently rules out simple binary mixing models(mantle-plume hypothesis). It is proposed that the heterogeneities result from establishmentof a lithophile element gradient during a single chemical fractionationevent in the upper mantle at least 100–200 m.y. ago. Itis not possible at present to relate this geochemical gradientto known mantle structure.     

A geochemical study of magmatism associated with the initial stages of back-arc spreading

Bransfield Strait is a narrow basin separating the South Shetland Islands from the Antarctic Peninsula and is attributed to recent back-arc extension behind the South Shetland volcanic arc. The volcanic islands of Deception and Bridgeman are situated close to the axis of spreading, whereas Penguin Island lies slightly to the north of this axis. The mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of the lavas of the three volcanoes have been studied in order to provide information on the nature of magmatism associated with the initial stages of back-arc spreading.Deception Island lavas range from olivine basalt to dacite, and all are highly sodic, with high Na/K, K/Rb, Ba/Rb and Zr/Nb ratios and with Ce_N/Yb_N = 2. Incompatible elements increase systematically between basalt and rhyodacite, while Sr decreases, suggesting that fractional crystallisation is the dominant process relating lava compositions. The rhyodacites have high concentrations of Zr, Y and the REE and negative Eu anomalies and are compositionally similar to oceanic plagiogranite. Bridgeman Island lavas are mostly basaltic andesites, but the levels of many incompatible elements, including REE, are significantly lower than those of Deception lavas, although Ce_N/Yb_N ratios and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7035) are the same. Penguin Island lavas are magnesian, mildly alkaline olivine basalts with a small range of composition that can be accommodated by fractional crystallisation of olivine, clinopyroxene and/or chromite. Penguin lavas have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7039) and Ce_N/ Yb_N (4) ratios than Deception and Bridgeman lavas. The Rb/Sr ratios of Deception and Penguin basalts (ca. 0.01) are much too low to account for their present ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios.Modelling suggests that the source regions of the lavas of the three volcanoes share many geochemical features, but there are also some significant differences, which probably reflects the complex nature of the mantle under an active island arc combined with complex melting relationships attending the initial stages of back-arc spreading. Favoured models suggest that Bridgeman lavas represent 10–20% melting and the more primitive Deception lavas 5–10% melting of spinel-peridotite, whereas Penguin lavas represent less then 5% melting of a garnet-peridotite source. The mantle source for Bridgeman lavas seems to have undergone short-term enrichment in K, Rb and Ba, possibly resulting from dewatering of the subducted slab. Hydrous melting conditions may also account for the more siliceous, high-alumina nature and low trace element contents of Bridgeman lavas.     

Geochemical evolution of Kohala Volcano,Hawaii

Kohala Volcano, the oldest of five shield volcanoes comprising the island of Hawaii, consists of a basalt shield dominated by tholeiitic basalt, Pololu Volcanics, overlain by alkalic lavas, Hawi Volcanics. In the upper Pololu Volcanics the lavas become more enriched in incompatible elements, and there is a transition from tholeiitic to alkalic basalt. In contrast, the Hawi volcanics consist of hawaiites, mugearites, and trachytes. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 14 Pololu basalts and 5 Hawi lavas range from 0.70366 to 0.70392 and 0.70350 to 0.70355, respectively. This small but distinct difference in Sr isotopic composition of different lava types, especially the lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the younger lavas with higher Rb/Sr, has been found at other Hawaiian volcanoes. Our data do not confirm previous data indicating Sr isotopic homogeneity among lavas from Kohala Volcano. Also some abundance trends, such as MgO-P₂O₅, are not consistent with a simple genetic relationship between Pololu and Hawi lavas. We conclude that all Kohala lavas were not produced by equilibrium partial melting of a compositionally homogeneous source.     

Tertiary basalts and peridotite xenoliths from the Hessian Depression (NW Germany), reflecting mantle compositions low in radiogenic Nd and Sr

A total of 17 alkali basalts (alkali olivine basalt, limburgite, olivine nephelinite) and quartz tholeiites, and of 10 peridotite xenoliths (or their clinopyroxenes) were analyzed for Nd and Sr isotopes. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of all basalts and of the majority of ultramafic xenoliths plot below the mantle array with a large variation in Nd isotopes and a smaller variation in Sr isotopes. The tholeiites were less radiogenic in Nd than the alkali basalts. Volcanics from the Eifel and Massif Central regions contain Nd and Sr, which is more radiogenic than that of the basalts from the Hessian Depression. Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of all rocks from the latter area, with the exception of one tholeiite and one peridotite plot in the same field of isotope ratios as the Ronda ultramafic tectonite (SW Spain), which ranges in composition from garnet to plagioclase peridotite. The alkali basaltic rocks are products of smaller degrees of partial melting of depleted peridotite, which has undergone a larger metasomatic alteration compared with the source rock of tholeiitic magmas. For the peridotite xenoliths such metasomatic alteration is indicated by the correlation of their K contents and isotopic compositions. We assume that the upper mantle locally can acquire isotopic signatures low in radiogenic Nd and Sr from the introduction of delaminated crust. Such granulites low in radiogenic Nd and Sr are products of early REE fractionation and granite (Rb) separation.     

Elemental and Sr isotope variations in basic lavas from Iceland and the surrounding ocean floor

Major and trace element data are used to establish the nature and extent of spatial and temporal chemical variations in basalts erupted in the Iceland region of the North Atlantic Ocean. The ocean floor samples are those recovered by legs 38 and 49 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project. Within each of the active zones on Iceland there are small scale variations in the light rare earth elements and ratios such as K/Y: several central complexes and their associated fissure swarms erupt basalts with values of K/Y distinct from those erupted at adjacent centres; also basalts showing a wide range of immobile trace element ratios occur together within single vertical sections and ocean floor drill holes. Although such variations can be explained in terms of the magmatic processes operating on Iceland they make extrapolations from single basalt samples to mantle sources underlying the outcrop of the sample highly tenuous. ⁸⁷Sr/86Sr ratios measured for 25 of the samples indicate a total range from 0.7028 in a tholeiite from the Reykjanes Ridge to 0.7034 in an alkali basalt from Iceland and are consistent with other published ratios from the region. A positive correlation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Ce/Yb ratios indicates the existence of systematic isotopic and elemental variations in the mantle source region. An approximately fivefold variation in Ce/Yb ratio observed in basalts with the same ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio implies that different degrees and types of partial melting have been involved in magma genesis from a single mantle composition. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios above 0.7028, Th/U ratios close to 4 and La/Ta ratios close to 10 distinguish most basalts erupted in this part of the North Atlantic Ocean from normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-type MORE) — although N-type MORB has been erupted at extinct spreading axes just to the north and northeast of Iceland as well as the presently active Iceland-Jan Mayen Ridge.Comparisons with the hygromagmatophile element and radiogenic isotope ratios of MORB and the estimated primordial mantle indicate that the mantle sources producing Iceland basalts have undergone previous depletion followed by more recent enrichment events. A veined mantle source region is proposed in preference to the mantle plume model to explain the chemical variations.     

Origin of late-cenozoic lavas from the Banda arc,Indonesia: Trace element and Sr isotope evidence

The Banda arc of eastern Indonesia manifests the collision of a continent and an intra-oceanic island arc. The presently active arc is located on what appears to be oceanic crust whereas the associated subduction trench is underlain by continental crust.Recent lavas from the Banda arc are predominantly andesitic and range from tholeiitic in the north through calc-alkaline to high-K calc-alkaline varieties in the southern islands. Defining this regular geochemical variation are significant increases in the abundances of K (2,600–21,000 ppm), Rb (10–90 ppm), Cs (0.5–7.0 ppm), and Ba (100–1,000 ppm) from tholeiitic to high-K calc-alkaline lavas. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the tholeiites are relatively low, from 0.7045 to 0.7047. In the calc-alkaline lavas, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.7052 to 0.7095, and in the high-K calc-alkaline lavas from 0.7065 to 0.7080. There is no correlation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and major and trace element abundances, even among lavas from the same volcano. Late Cenozoic cordierite — bearing lavas from Ambon, north of the presently active arc, are highly enriched in K, Rb and Cs, which together with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of approximately 0.715 is consistent with their derivation from partial melting of pelitic material in the locally — thick crust.The high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the Recent calc-alkaline lavas are interpreted to result from mixing of a sialic component with a mantle derived component. The most likely cause is subduction and subsequent melting of either sea-floor sediments or continental crust. However, it is probably unrealistic to model this type of deep contamination by simple two-component mixing. Such contamination implies that the volcanic rocks from the Banda arc are at least partly a manifestation of melting at or near the Benioff seismic zone. Temperatures of at least 750–800 ° C at the top of the subducted lithospheric slab at depths of approximately 150 km are also implied; temperatures very close to the solidus of hydrous basalt (eclogite) at such pressure. It is concluded that partial melting of the crustal component of the subducted lithospheric slab may play a significant role in island arc petrogenesis.This paper is the result of a cooperative project with the Geological Survey of Indonesia, Ministry of Mines and Energy     

Magmatic evolution of Late Cenozoic volcanic rocks of the Lau Ridge,Fiji

Three main groups of lavas are exposed on islands of the Lau Ridge: the Lau Volcanic Group (LVG), 14.0–5.4 Ma, are predominantly andesite; Korobasaga Volcanic Group (KVG), 4.4–2.4 Ma, are predominantly basalt and Mago Volcanic Group (MVG), 2.0–0.3 Ma, are basalt-hawaiite. LVG and KVG lavas are mostly medium-K tholeiitic rocks with high LILE/HFSE ratios characteristic of islands ares, while MVG lavas are ne-normative alkalic rocks with high LILE and HFSE, characteristic of ocean island basalts. LVG lavas have high ?_Nd (+8.0–+8.4) and low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70273–0.70349) similar to N-MORB, whereas KVG lavas have slightly more radiogenic values (?_Nd=+7.5?+8.4; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70323-0.70397). MVG lavas form an isotopically distinct group having lower ?_Nd (+4.6–+4.9) and (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranging from 0.70347–0.70375). LVG lavas were erupted in a primary oceanic island arc (Vitiaz arc) during the Miocene. Basaltic lavas were derived by approximately 19% partial melting of mantle wedge peridotite with only minor subduction component. Andesites and dacites were produced by low-pressure plagioclase-pyroxene-titanomagnetite dominated crystal fractionation. KVG lavas were erupted during the period immediately prior to or during the initial stages of rifting in the Lau Basin, and, like LVG lavas, show significant chemical differences at the northern and southern ends of the Lau Ridge. Lavas at the northern end (type (ii)) appear to be derived from a more depleted source than LVG but with a greater amount of subduction component. Those at the southern end (type (i)) probably came from a slightly more enriched source with less subduction component. MVG basalts and hawaiites were derived from an enriched mantle with little or no subduction input. The hawaiites (type (i)) could not have been derived from the basalts (type (ii)), and the two magma types must have come from different sources, indicating mantle heterogeneity. The lack of subduction influence indicates the MVG lavas are tectonically unrelated to the present-day Tonga arc, and the lack of depletion indicators suggests they have tapped a different (new?) part of the mantle wedge. This may reflect introduction of sub-Pacific mantle through the present Tonga-Lau subduction system.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the early Tertiary lava pile of the Isle of Mull,Scotland

Major and trace element analyses and strontium isotope ratios are presented for twenty-four samples of lavas and plugs from the early Tertiary lava pile in Mull. The samples were selected on the basis of petrographic freshness from a large collection from outside the hydrothermally altered zone of pneumatolysis which occupies the central region of the volcanic complex. Most of the analyses yield normative hypersthene and we argue that these are essentially unaltered magmatic compositions. The analytical data indicate that the samples may be divided into three groups on the basis of major element chemistry, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and correlations between lithophile element contents. Group I comprises an alkaline series (basalt-hawaiite-mugearite) with extremely low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7030) and generally low lithophile element contents. Apart from their alkalinity and high Sr and Zr contents these samples have affinities with abyssal tholeiites. Group II contains hypersthene normative basalts with more tholeiitic characteristics but (as in the case of the Skye Main Lava Series) the more evolved rocks are trachytes. This group is characterized by more normal levels of lithophile element concentrations and relatively high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of about 0.7055. Group III is less clearly defined and contains basalts that are generally sparsely olivine-phyric and in most chemical respects fall between Group I and Group II-including initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7033 to 0.7043). They may represent mixtures of Group I and Group II type sources or magmas. Groups I and II appear to be similar, respectively, to the relatively sodic iron-rich and the relatively potassic ironpoor silica enrichment trends distinguished in the Skye Main Lava Series. In the Group I magma series the behaviour of Y and Sr relative to other incompatible elements can only be explained by differential partial melting of a deep garnet-lherzolite mantle source. Fractional crystallization has undoubtedly occurred at some stage during the ascent of these magmas from the mantle, as indicated by the behaviour of Ni and Cr, but has not been a major factor in the production of evolved magma compositions. The Group II magmas appear to have originated from a source more enriched in lithophile elements, and a relatively shallow (< 50 km) plagioclase-lherzolite mantle source is suggested for these magmas because they have Sr/Ba ratios between one and two orders of magnitude lower than those characteristic of Group I. Rb-Sr systematics suggest that the vertical heterogeneity of the mantle which was largely responsible for the chemical differences between these three groups may have existed for a very long time prior to Tertiary magmatism.     

Geochemical variations in Andean basaltic and silicic lavas from the Villarrica-Lanin volcanic chain (39.5° S): an evaluation of source heterogeneity,fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation

At 39.5° S in the southern volcanic zone of the Andes three Pleistocene-recent stratovolcanoes, Villarrica, Quetrupillan and Lanin, form a trend perpendicular to the strike of the Andes, 275 to 325 km from the Peru-Chile trench. Basalts from Villarrica and Lanin are geochemically distinct; the latter have higher incompatible element abundances and La/Sm but lower Ba/La and alkali metal/La ratios. These differences are consistent with our previously proposed models involving: a) a west to east decrease in an alkali metal-rich, high Ba/La slab-derived component which causes an across strike decrease in degree of melting; or b) a west to east increase in the contamination of subduction-related magma by enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Silicic and mafic lavas from the stratovolcanoes have overlapping Sr, Nd and O isotopic ratios. Silicic lavas also have geochemical differences that parallel those of their associated basalts, e.g., rhyolite from Villarrica has lower La/Sm and incompatible element contents than high-SiO₂ andesite from Lanin. At each volcano the most silicic lavas can be modelled by closed system fractional crystallization while andesites are best explained by magma mixing. Apparently crustal contamination was not an important process in deriving the evolved lavas. Basaltic flows from small scoria cones, 20–35 km from Villarrica volcano have high incompatible element contents and low Ba/La, like Lanin basalts, but trend to higher K/Rb (356–855) and lower ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr (0.70361–0.70400) than basalts from either stratovolcano. However all basalts have similar Nd, Pb and O isotope ratios. The best explanation for the unique features of the cones is that the sources of SVZ magmas, e.g., slab-derived fluids or melts of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, have varying alkali metal and radiogenic Sr contents. These heterogeneities are not manifested in stratovolcano basalts because of extensive subcrustal pooling and mixing. This model is preferable to one involving crustal contamination because it can account for variable Sr isotope ratios and uniform Nd and Pb isotope ratios among the basalts, and the divergence of the cones from across-strike geochemical trends defined by the stratovolcanoes.     

Petrogenetic Significance of Isotope and Trace Element Variations in Volcanic Rocks From the Mid-Atlantic

High precision ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses, together with determinationsof Rb, Sr, K₂O, Na₂O and, in a few cases, other elements, arereported for about fifty volcanic rocks (mainly basaltic) fromthe Atlantic Ocean basin. Results for dredged basalts from theReykjanes Ridge and Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone, and an enstatite-forsteritebasalt from Kolbeinsey islet, support the general observationthat ocean-ridge tholeiites have uniformly low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios(0.70294±4) and lithophile element contents comparedwith the most primitive basalts on ocean islands, includingthe Neovolcanic zones of Iceland, although progressive decreasein these quantities away from Iceland has not been confirmed.In contrast, the ocean island alkali basalts generally havehigher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70334±5 for the Snaefellsnespeninsula of Iceland, 0.70343±4 for Jan Mayen, 0.70509±4for Tristan da Cunha and 0.70369±3 for Bouvetøya).The chief exception is Ascension Island, where volcanic rocksranging from alkali-olivine basalt to trachyte give a mean valueof 0.70284±4. The constancy of this ratio throughouteruptive sequences on any single island indicates that Sr-isotopecharacteristics are primary features. These variations, which are far outside analytical errors, areconsidered in the light of the geochemistry and isotope systematicsof ocean basalts in general. The implied isotopic (and lithophileelement) heterogeneities of the source regions have to be interpretedaccording to either equilibrium or disequilibrium melting models.The former, which is normally assumed, requires large-scale(domain) isotopic inhomogeneities within the mantle, which musthave existed over thousands of m.y. unless the Rb/Sr ratio ofextracted liquids is lower than that of the bulk source (aswould be the case if phlogopite were a residual phase). In thecase of disequilibrium melting, the inhomogeneities are reducedto the mineral scale, as observed in some studies of ultramaficnodules. It is shown that disequilibrium melting models couldgenerally account for the observed isotopic variations of oceanicrocks, although difficulties are again encountered unless phlogopiteis a stable residual phase. Evaluation of the relative importanceof these melting processes cannot be made at the present time.     

Volcanism in nascent back-arc basins behind the Shichito Ridge and adjacent areas in the Izu-Ogasawara arc,northwest Pacific: evidence for mixing between E-type MORB and island arc magmas at the initiation of back-arc rifting

Mineral chemistry, major and trace elements, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are presented for 29 igneous rocks dredged from the northern portion of the Izu-Ogasawara arc. These rocks are compositionally bimodal. Basement gabbro and trondhjemite from the arc are extremely poor in K₂O (0.05–0.19%) and Rb (0.48–0.62 ppm), and their REE patterns and Sr isotope ratios indicate that there are island arc tholeiites. Quaternary volcanic rocks from the present volcanic front (Shichito Ridge; active arc), back-arc seamounts (east side; inactive arc) and Torishima knoll between the two back-arc depressions (incipient back-arc basins) behind the active arc have the same geochemical characteristics as the above plutonic rocks though they are not as depleted in K and Rb. Rhyolite pumice from the backarc depression is also the depleted island arc tholeiite, whereas basalts from the depression have compositions that are transitional between MORB and island arc tholeiites in trace element (Ti, Ni, Cr, V, Y and Zr) and mineral chemistries. The back-arc depression basalts have relatively high Ba_N/Ce_N(0.66–1.24), Ce_n/Yb_N(1.1–1.9) and K/Ba(45–105) and low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70302–0.70332) and Ba/Sr (0.1–0.2), which are similar to other back-arc basin basalts and E-type MORB, but are quite unlike the depleted island arc tholeiites. The diverse trace element and Sr isotope compositions of basalt-andesite from the back-arc depressions imply the interplay between E-type MORB and island arc tholeiite. These chemical characteristics and the relationships of (Ce/Yb)_N vs (Ba/Ce)_N and (Ce/Yb)_N vs ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr suggest that the back-arc depression magmas are generated by mixing of E-type MORB and depleted island arc tholeiite magmas. Geochemical characters of the associated rhyolite from the depression are compatible with partial melting of lower crust.     

Role of lithosphere-asthenosphere interaction in the genesis of Quaternary alkali and tholeiitic basalts from Datong, western North China Craton

The geochemistry of Quaternary volcanic rocks from Datong provides important constraints on the petrogenesis of continental alkali and tholeiitic basalts and lithospheric evolution in the western North China Craton. Alkali basalts in north Datong have trace element compositions similar to oceanic island basalts (OIB). They show nearly homogenous isotopic compositions (?_Nd = 5.4-6.8 and ⁸⁷Sr / ⁸⁶Sr = 0.7035-0.7037) that resemble the nearby Hannuoba Miocene basalts, indicating that the two lava suites share a similar asthenospheric source. However, Datong basalts have conspicuously lower Al₂O₃ and CaO, higher SiO₂ and HREE contents and Na / Ti ratios, compared to Hannuoba lavas at comparable MgO. This compositional difference is attributable to the combined effect of source difference and temporal decrease in melting depth. The latter reflects Cenozoic lithospheric thinning of the western North China Craton.Tholeiitic basalts in southeast Datong have incompatible element ratios that differ from OIB; they have lower ?_Nd (1.3-3.7) and higher ⁸⁷Sr / ⁸⁶Sr (0.7039-0.7046) compared to alkali basalts. These moderately evolved rocks (MgO < 7%) display unusually high Cr concentrations (> 200 ppm), a nearly flat LREE pattern and a fractionated HREE with the “kink” occurring at Gd. A shallow melting depth (< 60 km), suggested by their Q-normative composition, is in conflict with the residual garnet in the source (> 75 km) as required by REE modeling. This paradox, which is reminiscent of that for Hawaiian tholeiites, can be reconciled if garnet lherzolite melts react with refractory peridotites during which orthopyroxene is dissolved and olivine precipitates. The diagnostic consequence of this melt-rock reaction includes increases in SiO₂ and Cr, decreases in Al₂O₃ and CaO, and formation of “kinked” REE patterns. Involvement of lithospheric mantle in the genesis of Datong tholeiites may be related to the Cenozoic lithospheric thinning/erosion in the western North China Craton. The spatial distribution of Datong alkali and tholeiitic basalts may be related to enhanced extension along the lithospheric boundary between the Western Block of the North China Craton and the Trans-North China Orogen.     

Hydrogen isotope systematics of submarine basalts

The D/H ratios and water contents in fresh submarine basalts from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the East Pacific Rise, and Hawaii indicate that the primary D/H ratios of many submarine lavas have been altered by processes including (1) outgassing, (2) addition of seawater at magmatic temperature, and (3) low-temperature hydration of glass. Decreases in δD and H²O⁺ from exteriors to interiors of pillows are explained by outgassing of water whereas inverse relations between δD and H₂O⁺ in basalts from the Galapagos Rise and the FAMOUS Area are attributed to outgassing of CH₄ and H₂. A good correlation between δD values and H₂O is observed in a suite of submarine tholeiites dredged from the Kilauea East Rift Zone where seawater (added directly to the magma), affected only the isotopic compositions of hydrogen and argon. Analyses of some glassy rims indicate that the outer millimeter of the glass can undergo lowtemperature hydration by hydroxyl groups having δD values as low as ?100.δD values vary with H₂O contents of subaerial transitional basalts from Molokai, Hawaii, and subaerial alkali basalts from the Society Islands, indicating that the primary δD values were similar to those of submarine lavas.Extrapolations to possible unaltered δD values and H₂O contents indicate that the primary δD values of most thoteiite and alkali basalts are near ?80 ± 5: the weight percentages of water are variable, 0.15–0.35 for MOR tholeiites, about 0.25 for Hawaiian tholeiites, and up to 1.1 for alkali basalts. The primary δD values of ?80 for most basalts are comparable to those measured for deep-seated phlogopites. These results indicate that hydrogen, in marked contrast to other elements such as Sr, Nd, Pb, and O, has a uniform isotopic composition in the mantle. This uniformity is best explained by the presence of a homogeneous reservoir of hydrogen that has existed in the mantle since the very early history of the Earth.