The geochemistry and petrogenesis of the late-Cretaceous picrites and basalts of Curaçao,Netherlands Antilles: a remnant of an oceanic plateau

The island of Curaçao in the southern Caribbean Sea is composed mainly of a thick sequence (>5?km) of pillow lavas, grading upwards from picrites at the base of the exposed section, to basalts nearer the top. Modelling suggests that picrites are related to the basalts by fractional crystallisation. Initial radiogenic isotope ratios of the picrites have a restricted compositional range: ?_Nd=+6.1 to +6.6, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70296–0.70319; whereas the basalts display a wider range of compositions: ?_Nd=+6.6 to +7.6, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70321–0.70671. This variation in isotope ratios between basalts and picrites may be due to the assimilation of altered oceanic crust (or possibly partial melts of such crust) by a picritic magma along with fractional crystallisation. The relatively narrow range of Nd and Pb isotopic compositions in the Curaçao lavas suggests either that the source region was homogeneous, or that melts from a heterogeneous mantle source were well mixed before eruption. Chondritic to slightly light rare earth element enriched patterns, combined with long-term light rare earth element depletion (positive ?_Nd), suggest that the lavas were formed by polybaric melting of spinel lherzolite, with small a contribution from garnet lherzolite melts. High-MgO lavas, the absence of a subduction related chemistry, and the chemical similarity to other oceanic plateaux, suggest a mantle plume origin for the Curaçao lava succession. The Curaçao volcanic sequence is part of an oceanic plateau formed at about 88–90?Ma, fragments of which are dispersed around the Caribbean as well as being obducted onto the western margin of Colombia and Ecuador. The occurrence of high-Mg lavas throughout this Cretaceous Caribbean–Colombian igneous province requires anomalously hot mantle (>200^°?C hotter than ambient upper mantle) over a large part of a putative plume head, which is inconsistent with some mantle plume models.     

The Late Cretaceous Klepa basalts in Macedonia (FYROM)—Constraints on the final stage of Tethys closure in the Balkans

The waning stage(s) of the Tethyan ocean(s) in the Balkans are not well understood. Controversy centres on the origin and life‐span of the Cretaceous Sava Zone, which is allegedly a remnant of the last oceanic domain in the Balkan Peninsula, defining the youngest suture between Eurasia‐ and Adria‐derived plates. In order to investigate to what extent Late‐Cretaceous volcanism within the Sava Zone is consistent with this model we present new age data together with trace‐element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data for the Klepa basaltic lavas from the central Balkan Peninsula. Our new geochemical data show marked differences between the Cretaceous Klepa basalts (Sava Zone) and the rocks of other volcanic sequences from the Jurassic ophiolites of the Balkans. The Klepa basalts mostly have Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic and trace‐element signatures that resemble enriched within‐plate basalts substantially different from Jurassic ophiolite basalts with MORB, BAB and IAV affinities. Trace‐element modelling of the Klepa rocks indicates 2%–20% polybaric melting of a relatively homogeneously metasomatised mantle source that ranges in composition from garnet lherzolite to ilmenite+apatite bearing spinel–amphibole lherzolite. Thus, the residual mineralogy is characteristic of a continental rather than oceanic lithospheric mantle source, suggesting an intracontinental within‐plate origin for the Klepa basalts. Two alternative geodynamic models are internally consistent with our new findings: (1) if the Sava Zone represents remnants of the youngest Neotethyan Ocean, magmatism along this zone would be situated within the forearc region and triggered by ridge subduction; (2) if the Sava Zone delimits a diffuse tectonic boundary between Adria and Europe which had already collided in the Late Jurassic, the Klepa basalts together with a number of other magmatic centres represent volcanism related to transtensional tectonics.     

The relationship between the hawaiites and basalts of the itcha Volcanic Complex,central British Columbia

Volumetrically subordinate alkaline mafic lava flows form a late capping stage over the earlier felsic lavas that form the shield of the Itcha Volcanic Complex (IVC), of the Anahim Volcanic Belt (AVB) in central British Columbia (B.C.). The mafic capping stage of the IVC is dominated by hawaiites which are the earliest of the mafic lavas, and are succeeded by alkali olivine basalts (AOB) and then by basanites. The alkali olivine basalts can be subdivided into high-, intermediate- and low-MgO AOB groups, all of which share similar HFSE ratios (e.g. Nb/Zr) with the hawaiites. High Al contents and Sr/Zr ratios indicate that hawaiites and Fe-rich evolved AOB were derived from primitive AOB parental magmas by crystal fractionation of a wehrlitic assemblage at pressures on the order of 8 to 10 kbar. High Si and low Fe contents indicate that the majority of the evolved AOB lavas, however, do not represent an intermediate stage in the liquid line of descent to hawaiites, but were most likely produced by gabbroic fractionation from primitive AOB magmas at relatively low pressures. The parental magmas of the majority of these lavas were distinct from those of the observed high-MgO basalts, having higher HFSE contents and being more Si-under-saturated. The high Al, high Sr/Zr signature of high-pressure fractionation of a clinopyroxene-dominated assemblage in the IVC is shared by hawaiites of other alkaline volcanic suites of the Canadian Cordillera, such as the Edziza Volcanic Complex in northern B.C. and appears to be a feature of hawaiites in many localities, including Hawaii and Iceland. Viscosities calculated for both high- and low-pressure crystal fractionation models suggest that aphyric hawaiites are residual liquids escaped from a wehrlitic crystalline network, at elevated pressures, possibly at the base of the crust. Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

The role of mantle-hybridization and crustal contamination in the petrogenesis of lithospheric mantle-derived alkaline rocks: constraints from Os and Hf isotopes

The Rhön area as part of the Central European Volcanic Province (CEVP) hosts an unusual suite of Tertiary 24-Ma old hornblende-bearing alkaline basalts that provide insights into melting and fractionation processes within the lithospheric mantle. These chemically primitive to slightly evolved and isotopically (Sr, Nd, Pb) depleted basalts have slightly lower Hf isotopic compositions than respective other CEVP basalts and Os isotope compositions more radiogenic than commonly observed for continental intraplate alkaline basalts. These highly radiogenic initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios (0.268–0.892) together with their respective Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions are unlikely to result from crustal contamination alone, although a lack of Os data for lower crustal rocks from the area and limited data for CEVP basalts or mantle xenoliths preclude a detailed evaluation. Similarly, melting of the same metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle as inferred for other CEVP basalts alone is also unlikely, based on only moderately radiogenic Os isotope compositions obtained for upper mantle xenoliths from elsewhere in the province. Another explanation for the combined Nd, Sr and Os isotope data is that the lavas gained their highly radiogenic Os isotope composition through a mantle “hybridization”, metasomatism process. This model involves a mafic lithospheric component, such as an intrusion of a sublithospheric primary alkaline melt or a melt derived from subducted oceanic material, sometime in the past into the lithospheric mantle where it metasomatized the ambient mantle. Later at 24 Ma, thermal perturbations during rifting forced the isotopically evolved parts of the mantle together with the peridotitic ambient mantle to melt. This yielded a package of melts with highly correlated Re/Os ratios and radiogenic Os isotope compositions. Subsequent movement through the crust may have further altered the Os isotope composition although this effect is probably minor for the majority of the samples based on radiogenic Nd and unradiogenic Sr isotope composition of the lavas. If the radiogenic Os isotope composition can be explained by a mantle-hybridization and metasomatism model, the isotopic compositions of the hornblende basalts can be satisfied by ca. 5–25% addition of the mafic lithospheric component to an asthenospheric alkaline magma. Although a lack of isotope data for all required endmembers make this model somewhat speculative, the results show that the Re–Os isotope system in continental basalts is able to distinguish between crustal contamination and derivation of continental alkaline lavas from isotopically evolved peridotitic lithosphere that was contaminated by mafic material in the past and later remelted during rifting. The Hf isotopic compositions are slightly less radiogenic than in other alkaline basalts from the province and indicate the derivation of the lavas from low Lu–Hf parts of the lithospheric mantle. The new Os and Hf isotope data constrain a new light of the nature of such metasomatizing agents, at least for these particular rocks, which represent within the particular volcanic complex the first product of the volcanism.     

The Deccan tholeiite lavas and dykes of Ghatkopar–Powai area,Mumbai, Panvel flexure zone: Geochemistry,stratigraphic status,and tectonic significance

Mumbai City, situated on the western Indian coast, is well known for exposures of late-stage Deccan pillow basalts and spilites, pyroclastic rocks, rhyolite lavas, and trachyte intrusions. These rock units, and a little-studied sequence of tholeiitic flows and dykes in the eastern part of Mumbai City, constitute the west-dipping limb of a regional tectonic structure called the Panvel flexure. Here we present field, petrographic, major and trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic data on these tholeiitic flows and dykes, best exposed in the Ghatkopar–Powai area. The flows closely resemble the Mahabaleshwar Formation of the thick Western Ghats sequence to the east, in Sr–Nd isotopic ratios and multielement patterns, but have other geochemical characteristics (e.g., incompatible trace element ratios) unlike the Mahabaleshwar or any other Formation. The flows may have originated from a nearby eruptive center, possibly offshore of Mumbai. Two dykes resemble the Ambenali Formation of the Western Ghats in all geochemical characteristics, though they may not represent feeders of the Ambenali Formation lavas. Most dykes are distinct from any of the Western Ghats stratigraphic units. Some show partial (e.g., Sr–Nd isotopic) similarities to the Mahabaleshwar Formation, and these include several dykes with unusual, concave-downward REE patterns suggesting residual amphibole and thus a lithospheric source. The flows and dykes are inferred to have undergone little or no contamination, by lower continental crust. Most dykes are almost vertical, suggesting emplacement after the formation of the Panvel flexure, and indicate considerable east–west lithospheric extension during this late but magmatically vigorous stage of Deccan volcanism.     

Diverse mantle and crustal components in lavas of the NW Cerros del Rio volcanic field,Rio Grande Rift,New Mexico

Products of Pliocene (2–4 Ma) mafic to intermediate volcanism in the northwestern Cerros del Rio, a dominantly mafic volcanic field in the Española Basin of the Rio Grande Rift (RGR), range from 49% to 63% SiO₂ and exhibit diversity in silica saturation, trace-element patterns, and isotopic compositions. Tholeiites, which are largely confined to west of the Rio Grande, have trace-element abundances that resemble those of oceanic basalts, but with mild depletions in Nb and Ta, and high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and high δ¹⁸O compared to typical OIB. They are regarded as asthenospherically-derived magmas contaminated with continental crust. Alkali basalts and hawaiites erupted from vents east of the Rio Grande are geochemically distinct, having generally higher overall incompatible-element abundances, but with pronounced depletions in K, Rb, Nb and Ta with respect to Th and LREE. Spatially-associated benmoreites, mugearites and latites (collectively termed “evolved” lavas) have similar trace-element characteristics to the mafic mildly-alkaline compositions, but are typically not as depleted in K. Hawaiites and evolved lavas exhibit a good negative correlation of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd with SiO₂, due to interaction with lower continental crust. The most silicic “evolved” lavas carry the highest proportions of crustal material, and consequently have higher K/Th than the related hawaiites. Several (mostly mafic) lavas contain abundant crustally-derived resorbed quartz xenocrysts in O-isotope disequilibrium with the host magma. The δ¹⁸O values of xenocrystic quartz range over 4‰, indicating a variety of quartz-bearing crustal contaminants beneath the Española Basin. The hawaiites, with their unusual combination of trace-element enrichments and depletions, cannot be generated by any process of fractionation or crustal contamination superposed on a common mantle source type (oceanic or arc-source). It is a regional mantle source type, inasmuch as it was also present beneath NW Colorado during the mid-late Cenozoic. We argue that the hawaiite source must have originally existed as arc-source mantle enriched in LILE, generated during Mesozoic to early Cenozoic subduction at the western margin of North America. This arc-source mantle lost K, Rb and Ba, but not Th or LREE, prior to magmagenesis. Selective element loss may have occurred during lithospheric thinning and uprise of hydrated phlogopitebearing peridotite-possibly as a thermal boundary layer between lithosphere and asthenosphere — to shallow mantle depths, with consequent conversion of phlogopite to amphibole (an inferior host for K, Rb and Ba). We suggest that this occurred during the early extensional phase of the northern RGR. Further extension was accompanied by partial melting and release of magma from this source and the underlying asthenosphere, which by the Pliocene was of oceanic type. The hawaiite source mantle is the product of a long history of subduction succeeded by lithospheric extension of the formerly overriding plate. Similar chemical signatures may have developed in the mantle beneath other regions with comparable histories.     

Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Magmatic Evolution of the Basaltic and Trachytic Lavas from Gough Island, South Atlantic

The Gough Island lavas range from picrite basalt through tosodalite-bearing aegirine-augite trachyte. The basaltic lavasare predominantly nepheline normative alkali basalts, althougha group of hypersthene normative tholeiitic basalts does occur.The oldest lavas on the island, represented by the Lower Basaltseries, are approximately 1?0 m.y. old and the youngest arethe Upper Basalts with an age of {small tilde} 0?13 m.y. Relatively coherent variations are described by the basalticand trachytic lavas with respect to both bulk rock major andtrace element geochemistry and mineral chemistry, and quantitativepetrogenetic modelling suggests that most of the variation canbe attributed to crystal fractionation/accumulation processesacting on a number of geochemically distinct parental magmas.The Upper Basalts and Lower Basalts have (within the limitsof sampling) a relatively restricted composition compared tothe Middle Basalt series lavas, with the latter ranging frompicrite basalt through to trachyandesite. The picrite basaltsand coarsely pyroxene-olivine phyric basalts represent partialcumulates with varying proportions (up to 40 wt. per cent) ofaccumulated olivine and clinopyroxene. In contrast, the moderatelyphyric and aphyric/finely porphyritic lavas represent the productsof crystal fractionation with the most evolved lavas havingexperienced at least 40 per cent fractional crystallizationof clinopyroxene, olivine, plagioclase and minor Fe-Ti oxidesand apatite. The detailed abundance variations in these lavasindicate that a number of parental magma compositions have fractionatedto produce the overall variations in basalt geochemistry, andsome of the magmas have interacted through mixing processes. The trachytic lavas show a large range in trace element abundance,but have only a limited major element variation. Most of thisvariation can be attributed to extensive (up to 70 per cent)fractional crystallization of predominantly alkali feldsparwith minor clinopyroxene, olivine, biotite, titano-magnetiteand apatite. A number of genetically distinct trachytes canbe recognized which are probably not related to each other byany simple fractional crystallization process. The compositionof the least evolved trachytes can be adequately accounted forby relatively extensive (up to 60 per cent) fractionation ofthe more evolved Middle Basalt series lavas. The trace element and isotopic characteristics of primitiveGough Island basalts support the concept that the source region(s)giving rise to these lavas is extremely enriched in highly incompatibleelements relative to primordial or ‘undepleted’mantle of bulk earth composition. It is unlikely that the lavashave sampled undepleted mantle as might be suggested by thesimilarity of the Sr and Nd isotopic ratios to ‘bulk earth’values. Rather, a model is favoured whereby the lavas are derivedfrom previously enriched sub-oceanic mantle which was subsequentlyinvaded and further enriched, at some time prior to partialmelting, by melts or fluids highly enriched in incompatibleelements. The enrichment could have occurred as veining by smalldegree partial melts or by infiltration of metasomatic fluids.     

The Stonyford Volcanic Complex: a Forearc Seamount in the Northern California Coast Ranges

Jurassic age volcanic rocks of the Stonyford volcanic complex(SFVC) comprise three distinct petrological groups based ontheir whole-rock geochemistry: (1) oceanic tholeiites; (2) transitionalalkali basalts and glasses; (3) high-Al, low-Ti tholeiites.Major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataindicate that the oceanic tholeiites formed as low-degree partialmelts of normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)-source asthenospheresimilar in isotope composition to the East Pacific Rise today;the alkalic lavas were derived from an enriched source similarto that of E-MORB. The high-Al, low-Ti lavas resemble second-stagemelts of a depleted MORB-source asthenosphere that formed bymelting spinel lherzolite at low pressures. Trace element systematicsof the high-Al, low-Ti basalts show the influence of an enrichedcomponent, which overprints generally depleted trace elementcharacteristics. Tectonic discrimination diagrams show thatthe oceanic tholeiite and alkali suites are similar to present-daybasalts generated at mid-oceanic ridges. The high-Al, low-Tisuite resembles primitive arc basalts with an enriched, alkalibasalt-like overprint. Isotopic data show the influence of recycledcomponents in all three suites. The SFVC was constructed ona substrate of normal Coast Range ophiolite in an extensionalforearc setting. The close juxtaposition of the MORB-like olivinetholeiites with alkali and high-Al, low-Ti basalts suggestsderivation from a hybrid mantle source region that includedMORB-source asthenosphere, enriched oceanic asthenosphere, andthe depleted supra-subduction zone mantle wedge. We proposethat the SFVC formed in response to collision of a mid-oceanridge spreading center with the Coast Range ophiolite subductionzone. Formation of a slab window beneath the forearc duringcollision allowed the influx of ridge-derived magmas or themantle source of these magmas. Continued melting of the previouslydepleted mantle wedge above the now defunct subduction zoneproduced strongly depleted high-Al, low-Ti basalts that werepartially fertilized with enriched, alkali basalt-type meltsand slab-derived fluids. KEY WORDS: CRO; oceanic basalts; California     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of Cretaceous oceanic plateau lavas in eastern Jamaica

Basaltic lavas of Turonian to Coniacian age belonging to the Bath–Dunrobin Formation occur with intercalated island arc tuffs in the south of the Blue Mountain inlier, have been interpreted as being derived from the Caribbean oceanic plateau. This study presents new major and trace element and Sr–Pb–Nd–Hf isotopic data for these igneous rocks. The Jamaican rocks are altered by tropical weathering, hydrothermal and metamorphic processes, which have mobilised many of their elements (e.g. K and Ba). Consequently, the basalts and dacitic tuffs have been classified by using immobile trace elements. The trace element and _Hf(i)–_Nd(i) geochemistry suggests that the basaltic lavas are derived from a chemically similar source region by variable degrees of partial melting. The Caribbean plateau basalts lie on a mixing line between a depleted plume component and HIMU in Nd–Hf isotopic space. The Pb isotope data also demonstrate that the Jamaican plateau lavas are composed of a larger HIMU component than the other plateau lavas within the Caribbean region. The intercalated island arc tuffs are the first to be found in any oceanic plateau succession in the Caribbean and imply that the Caribbean oceanic plateau at  90 Ma was relatively close to the subduction zone along South America and the Great Arc of the Antilles.     

Stratigraphy and geochemistry of pillow basalts within the ophiolitic mélange of the Izmir–Ankara–Erzincan suture zone: implications for the geotectonic character of the northern branch of Neotethys

The Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone of Turkey is a broad zone of ophiolitic mélange containing numerous fragmented blocks ranging in age from Triassic to Cretaceous. Stratigraphic sequences for various mélange units are compared, together with the geochemistry of associated basaltic pillow lavas of Cretaceous age. A review of geochemical data for the pillow lavas demonstrate: (a) a dominant group of alkalic basalts with enriched incompatible elements, variable Zr/Y and Zr/Nb ratios, and (b) a range of tholeiitic basalts with slightly depleted to mildly enriched (normalized) rare earth patterns, (La/Yb)_N 0.4-3.0, and generally low Zr/Y ratios. The alkalic basalts can be chemically matched to Pacific Ocean seamounts, although the close association of red radiolarites and cherts suggests that many basalts represent the margins of such structures, rather than the main seamount edifice. Nd-Sr isotope data are typical for ocean island basalts and represent an admixture of a dominant EM-1 source and a depleted MORB-like source. Enhanced δ¹⁸O compositions are a consequence of submarine alteration and not crustal contamination. Tholeiitic compositions have affinities with both N- and E-type MORB, although most are probably representative of tholeiitic ocean islands. Overall the basalts are mainly representative of structures built on the ocean floor, rather than the oceanic crust itself, being scraped off the subducting crust and preserved in the mélange of the accretionary wedge.     

The Kostomuksha greenstone belt,NW Baltic Shield: remnant of a late Archaean oceanic plateau?

The Kostomuksha greenstone belt consists of two lithotectonic terranes, one mafic igneous and the other sedimentary, separated by a major shear zone. The former contains submarine 2.8 Gyr old komatiite-basalt lavas and volcaniclastic lithologies with trace element and isotopic compositions resembling those of recent oceanic flood basalts [?Nd(T) =+ 2,8, μ.₁= 8.73 (Nb/Th)N= 1.5–2.1 (Nb/La)N= 1.0–1.5]. We suggest that the mafic terrane is a remnant of the upper crustal part of an Archaean oceanic plateau derived from partial melting of a mantle plume head. When the plateau reached the continental margin, it collided with the sedimentary terrane but was too buoyant to subduct. As a result, the volcanic section of the plateau was imbricated and obducted thus becoming a new piece of continental crust. The deeper zones were subducted and disappeared from the geological record.     

Geochemical Constrains on Petrogenesis and Tectonic Setting of Volcanic Rocks from the Baimianxia and Sanwan Formations in the Northern Margin of the Yangtze Plate

On the basis of petrogeochemical data, the volcanic lavas of the Baimianxia Formation can be classified into two units: high TiO2 and low TiO2. The TiO2 concentration of the former is generally higher than 1%, which occurs in the lower part with high-grade metamorphism, but the latter is less than 1% and crops out in the upper part with low-grade metamorphism. The high-TiO2 unit is dominated by tholeiitic lavas showing high rare earth element (REE) contents (ΣREE?=?83.4–180.8?μg/g), high light/heavy REE (LREE/HREE) ratios (LREE/HREE=2.17–5.85) and weak negative Eu anomaly (Eu=0.79–1.01). Its trace element patterns display weak Nb-Ta anomalies with respect to Th, K, La, Ce, showing within-plate basalt affinities. In contrast, the low-TiO2 unit is characterized by low REE contents, low LREE/HREE ratios, and pronounced Nb-Ta anomalies, indicating typical arc or continental arc signature. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of basalts and andesites from the Sanwan Formation are flat or LREE depletion, which is very similar to normal mid-oceanic basalt. Therefore, we suggest that these lavas should be formed in a back-arc basin setting. Sr-Nd isotopic data of the basalt in the lower part suggest that the rocks would have been formed in ~1144?Ma. Based on the geochemical and isotopic features of the basalts, we suggest that these rocks in the low part of the Baimianxia Formation should originate from an asthenospheric oceanic-island basalt-like mantle source, which may be produced by partial melting of garnet lherzolite, and significantly underwent fractional crystallization and crustal or lithospheric mantle contamination en route to the surface. However, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb dating of the basalt sample from the upper part of the Baimianxia Formation gives a 437 Ma, indicating a Early Paleozoic age. The geochemical analysis in this paper suggests that they may originate from an arc or continental arc in response to aqueous fluids or melt expelled from a subducting slab, and the partial melting occurred in the garnet stability field. The samples of basalts and andesites in the Sanwan Formation show they are derived from depleted mantle source similar to normal mid-oceanic basalt. Finally, we can conclude that the lavas in the lower part of the Baimianxia Formation represent the geological records of rift-related volcanism in the middle Proterozoic, which is commonly considered to be the precursor of continental breakup and followed by oceanic basin forming from Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic. Whereas, the lavas in upper part of the Baimianxia Formation and Sanwan Formations may have been generated by the oceanic and continental conversion that occurred in the early Paleozoic.     

Evidence for Archean ocean crust with low high field strength element signature from diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths

Late Archean (2.57 Ga) diamond-bearing eclogite xenoliths from Udachnaya, Siberia, exhibit geochemical characteristics including variation in oxygen isotope values, and correlations of δ¹⁸O with major elements and radiogenic isotopes which can be explained by an origin as subducted oceanic crust. Trace element analyses of constituent garnet and clinopyroxene by Laser-ICPMS are used to reconstruct whole-rock trace element compositions, which indicate that the eclogites have very low high field strength element (HFSE) concentrations and Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios most similar to modern island arcs or ultradepleted mantle. Although hydrothermal alteration on the Archean sea floor had enough geochemical effect to allow the recognition of its effects in the eclogites and thus diagnose them as former oceanic crust, it was not severe enough to erase many other geochemical features of the original igneous rocks, particularly the relatively immobile HFSEs. Correlations of the trace element patterns with oxygen isotopes show that some, generally Mg-richer, eclogites originated as lavas, whereas others have lower δ¹⁸O and higher Sr and Eu contents indicating an origin as plagioclase-bearing intrusive rocks formed in magma chambers within the ocean crust. Major and trace element correlations demonstrate that the eclogites are residues after partial melting during the subduction process, and that their present compositions were enriched in MgO by this process. The original lava compositions were picritic, but not komatiitic, whereas the intrusives had lower, basaltic MgO contents. The HFSE signature of the eclogites may indicate that ocean floor basalts of the time were relatively close to island arcs and recycled material, which would be consistent with a larger number of smaller oceanic plates. Their composition appears to indicate that komatiitic ocean crust compositions were restricted to the early Archean which is not known to be represented among the eclogite xenolith population.     

Petrogenesis of Tertiary Continental Intra-plate Lavas from the Westerwald Region, Germany

Tertiary volcanic rocks from the Westerwald region range frombasanites and alkali basalts to trachytes, whereas lavas fromthe margin of the Vogelsberg volcanic field consist of morealkaline basanites and alkali basalts. Heavy rare earth elementfractionation indicates that the primitive Westerwald magmasprobably represent melts of garnet peridotite. The Vogelsbergmelts formed in the spinel–garnet peridotite transitionregion with residual amphibole for some magmas suggesting meltingof relatively cold mantle. Assimilation of lower-crustal rocksand fractional crystallization altered the composition of lavasfrom the Westerwald and Vogelsberg region significantly. Thecontaminating lower crust beneath the Rhenish Massif has a differentisotopic composition from the lower continental crust beneaththe Hessian Depression and Vogelsberg, implying a compositionalboundary between the two crustal domains. The mantle sourceof the lavas from the Rhenish Massif has higher ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pband ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr than the mantle source beneath the Vogelsbergand Hessian Depression. The 30–20 Ma volcanism of theWesterwald apparently had the same mantle source as the QuaternaryEifel lavas, suggesting that the magmas probably formed in apulsing mantle plume with a maximum excess temperature of 100°Cbeneath the Rhenish Massif. The relatively shallow melting ofamphibole-bearing peridotite beneath the Vogelsberg and HessianDepression may indicate an origin from a metasomatized portionof the thermal boundary layer. KEY WORDS: continental rift volcanism; basanites; trachytes; assimilation; fractional crystallization; partial melting     

西藏吉定蛇绿岩地球化学特征及其构造指示意义

吉定蛇绿岩位于雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带的中段,是该带保存较好的蛇绿岩之一,通过对该岩体的研究及与附近蛇绿岩剖面的对比有助于恢复早白垩世雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带的演化过程。吉定蛇绿岩包括玄武岩、辉绿岩、堆晶岩及地幔橄榄岩四个岩石单元。壳层岩石岩浆结晶顺序为:橄榄石→单斜辉石→斜长石,代表湿岩浆系统分异。吉定蛇绿岩壳层熔岩(玄武岩和辉绿岩)Ti O2含量为0.87%~1.45%,平均1.1%,与印度洋N-MORB玻璃(1.19%)相似。REE配分模式具有明显的LREE亏损特征,稀土配分模式与典型的大洋中脊玄武岩相似。但其微量元素蛛网图上表现为富集LILE,而亏损HFSE,并具有较高LILE/HFSE比值特征,与俯冲带上的(SSZ)蛇绿岩相似。蛇绿岩熔岩在岩石地球化学上表现出既亲MORB,又具部分IAB的特征。结合区域上大竹卡、得几等蛇绿岩岩石及地球化学资料对比分析,提出吉定蛇绿岩形成于在洋内俯冲带上发育起来的弧后盆地,并提出日喀则地区早白垩世洋壳演化的解释模式:雅鲁藏布江中段蛇绿岩至少包含三种组分特征的蛇绿岩体,其代表性剖面分别是吉定,得村和大竹卡,分别形成于近俯冲带的弧后盆地、弧前盆地和弧后盆地,这些洋壳共同组成早白垩世时期的与特提斯洋俯冲带斜交的一条分段发育的洋中脊。     

Puncoviscana folded belt in northwestern Argentina: testimony of Late Proterozoic Rodinia fragmentation and pre-Gondwana collisional episodes

 Stratigraphic correlations and tectonic analysis suggest that the Puncoviscana fold belt of northwestern Argentina was an intracontinental basin with bimodal igneous suites that formed in connection with the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent (at ∼800 Ma). Several lines of evidences point to an initial lithosphere rupture, possibly induced by a rising mantle plume. The earliest synrift igneous products are represented by ultra-potassic dykes and alkaline lava flows of high LREE/HREE and low Zr/Nb–Y/Nb ratios. The dyke emplacements and the initiation of rifting were probably synchronous. They pass laterally and upwards (middle part of the Puncoviscana succession) into basalts of alkaline transitional character (OIB-like source). The distinctive chemical feature of these lavas are very similar to the source of oceanic island basalts; thus, they are thought to represent a magmatism associated with the rift and rift-drift transition stage. During this stage of rifting probably true oceanic crust was formed. The upper part of the Puncoviscana sequence, Late Precambrian/Lower Cambrian in age, comprises a thick and monotonous sequence of pillow lavas, massive basaltic flows and minor volcanic breccias and hyaloclastites. These lavas exhibit MORB trace element characteristics with high FeO_t and TiO₂, low K₂O and P₂O₅, flat light REE spectra, little or no depletion in Nb and Ta. This volcanism consists of the major and latest effusive episode from the Puncoviscana basin which was slightly modified by subduction processes. The geodynamical model proposed for the generation of these volcanic rocks could have been developed in two stages. In the first stage the volcanic event is compatible with a progressive opening of a continental rift leading to formation of a mature oceanic basin. In contrast, the second stage shows the effects of a completed Wilson cycle including a primitive volcanic arc which continued until the accreted Cuyania-Arequipa-Belen-Antofalla (CABA) terrane against the proto-Gondwana western borderland of the Amazonian shield (∼535 Ma). Received: 23 December 1997 / Accepted: 9 December 1998     

Geochemical and strontium isotopic characteristics of parental Aleutian arc magmas: evidence from the basaltic lavas of Atka

Eighteen flows from a basal stratigraphic sequence on the Aleutian Island of Atka were analyzed for major elements, trace elements and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. Petrographically, these lavas contain abundant plagioclase (24–45%) and lesser amounts of olivine (<7%), magnetite and clinopyroxene phenocrysts. Compositionally, the lavas are high-alumina (20wt%) basalts (48–51 wt% SiO₂) with low TiO₂ (<1%) and MgO (<5%). Within the section, compositional variations for all major elements are quite small. While MgO content correlates with olivine phenocryst contents, no such relationship exists between the other oxides and phenocryst content. These lavas are characterized by 8–10 ppm Rb, high Sr (610–669 ppm), 308–348 ppm Ba and very constant Zr (23–29 ppm) and Sc (23–29 ppm) abundances. Ni and Cr display extremely large compositional ranges, 12–118 ppm and 12–213 ppm, respectively. No correlation exists between trace element concentrations and phenocryst contents. Strontium isotopic ratios show a small but significant range (0.70314–0.70345) and are slightly elevated with respect to typical MORB. No systematic correlation between stratigraphic position and petrography or geochemistry is evident. REE abundances measured on six samples are LREE enriched ((La/ Yb)_N = 2.20–2.81) and display similar chondrite normalized patterns. One sample has a slight positive Eu anomaly but the other lavas do not. Compared to other Aleutian basalts of similar silica content, these lavas are less LREE enriched and have lower overall abundances. The geochemical characteristics of these basalts suggest they represent true liquid compositions despite their highly porphyritic nature. Published phase relations indicate fractionation of a more MgO-rich magma could not have produced these lavas. The high Al₂O₃ and low MgO and compatible element abundances suggest a predominantly oceanic crustal source for parental high-alumina basalts.     

Chemical Diversity of the Ueno Basalts, Central Japan: Identification of Mantle and Crustal Contributions to Arc Basalts

The Ueno Basalts of central Japan comprise a monogenetic volcaniccone complex that was active between 2·76 and 1·34Ma. Basalts were erupted at more than 14 centers scattered overa region 40 km in diameter. Alkali basalt was erupted first,followed by sub-alkaline basalt. Quasi-concentric expansionof eruption centers coinciding with uplift and with decreasingalkalinity of the lavas suggests that Ueno magmatism originatedfrom a mantle diapir as it mushroomed at the base of the lithosphere.Depleted asthenospheric mantle (alkali basalt), enriched lithosphericmantle (sub-alkaline basalt), and crustal components are identifiedas chemical end-members in the petrogenesis of the Ueno Basalts.Incompatible trace element abundances indicate that the Uenoalkali basalts are typical within-plate basalts, whereas thesub-alkaline basalts show strong affinities with normal arclavas. Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions indicate thatthe mantle source of the alkali basalts was more depleted thanthat of the sub-alkaline basalts. About 7% melting of asthenosphericmantle in the garnet-lherzolite stability field produced theprimitive alkali basalts and 12% melting of spinel lherzolitewithin the subcontinental lithosphere produced the primitivesub-alkaline basalts. Isotopic compositions and fluid mobile/immobileelement ratios broadly covary with SiO₂ contents in the sub-alkalinesuite, and increasing silica content is associated with strongerEMII (Enriched Mantle II) isotope affinities and fluid mobileelement abundances. A progressive AFC (assimilation–fractionalcrystallization) model assuming assimilation of a low-K silicicmelt reproduces the chemical variations observed in the sub-alkalinesuite. Melting of a flattening mantle diapir at the base ofthe lithosphere is the dominant cause of Ueno magmatism, accompaniedby the assimilation of older arc crust. KEY WORDS: arc basalt; crustal assimilation; mantle heterogeneity; Ueno Basalts     

蚀变洋壳和俯冲带变质流体的Fe-Mg同位素组成

贫碳酸盐的蚀变洋壳具有与新鲜洋中脊玄武岩一致的Mg同位素组成,说明低温和高温洋壳蚀变不会导致Mg同位素分馏.大别山港河和花凉亭的早期变质脉比榴辉岩具有偏高的δ56Fe-δ26Mg值,而且早期到晚期变质脉的δ56Fe-δ26Mg值逐渐降低.这些结果说明,在流体-岩石反应和流体演化过程中,Fe-Mg同位素发生了显著的分馏,且矿物溶解-再沉淀是同位素分馏的控制因素.相比洋中脊玄武岩,蚀变洋壳和变质脉具有相似或偏高的δ56Fe-δ26Mg值,说明蚀变洋壳脱水产生的流体富集重Fe-Mg同位素,不能解释弧岩浆岩的轻Fe/重Mg同位素组成.因此,弧岩浆岩异常的Fe-Mg同位素组成是熔体提取和富集54Fe-26Mg的蛇纹岩流体交代地幔楔两个过程共同作用的结果.      

扬子地台北缘白勉峡组和三湾组火山岩形成构造环境及岩石成因的地球化学约束

依据中基性火山岩主量和微量元素地球化学特征的差异,白勉峡组可分两部分,一部分火山岩TiO_2大于1%,变质程度较高,主要分布在下段;另一部分火山岩TiO_2小于1%,变质程度较浅,主要分布在上段.下段火山岩属拉斑玄武岩系列,上段主体属钙碱系列,稀土总量高(∑REE=83.4～180.8μg/g),轻重稀土分异较低(LREE/HREE=2.17～5.85),有弱的Eu负异常(δEu=0.79～1.01),微量元素原始地幔蛛网图显示有弱的Nb、Ta亏损,具有板内火山岩的地球化学特点,形成于板内裂谷环境.上段火山岩稀土总量低(∑REE=40.3～82.4μg/g),轻重稀土分异较高(LREE/HREE=2.3～7.6),无Eu负异常(δEu=0.90～1.11),微量元素原始地幔蛛网图发育明显的Nb-Ta槽和Zr-Hf槽,Ti、Sr发育较强的低谷,具有典型岛弧玄武岩的地球化学特点,形成于岛弧或大陆边缘弧环境.三湾组玄武岩和安山岩稀土元素分配型式呈LREE亏损的左倾型或呈近平坦型,类似于N-MORB,明显不同于白勉峡组,岩石组合和地球化学特点类似于弧后盆地火山岩.火山岩及相关侵入岩LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb定年及元素及Sr-Nd同位素地球化学研究揭示,白勉峡组下段火山岩形成时代可能为1144Ma,其源区为与洋岛玄武岩类似的软流圈地幔源区,部分熔融发生在石榴子石二辉橄榄岩稳定区,岩浆在演化过程中经历了一定分离结晶作用(分离结晶矿物为斜长石+单斜辉石)和地壳混染作用.白勉峡组上段火山岩形成时代可能为437Ma,有可能跨到晚古生代,其源区为受俯冲作用改造的富集地幔区,部分熔融亦发生于石榴子石二辉橄榄岩稳定区.三湾组中基性火山岩源于N-MORB近似的亏损地幔源区.白勉峡组下段代表中元古代末板内拉张事件的地质记录,白勉峡组上段和三湾组目前的火山岩样品可能代表了古生代同一洋陆转化的地质记录.