Experimental constraints on the low-pressure evolution of transitional and mildly alkalic basalts: the effect of Fe-Ti oxide minerals and the origin of basaltic andesites

One-atmosphere, melting experiments, controlled at the fayalite-magnetite-quartz oxygen buffer, on mildly alkalic and transitional basalts from Iceland show that these begin to crystallize Fe-Ti oxide minerals (magnetite and/or ilmenite) at 1105±5°C, apparently independently of bulk composition and the order of silicate and oxide mineral crystallization. Most samples crystalline plagioclase and olivine as the first two crystalline phases, augite as the third phase, and an Fe-Ti oxide mineral as the fourth phase. The main effects of Fe-Ti oxide crystallization are a marked decrease in FeO and TiO₂ in the liquid, and a notable increase in SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, and the minor oxides K₂O and P₂O₅, with decreasing temperature. The most silicic glasses are compositionally mugearitic and shoshonitic basaltic andesites. Because the smallest amount of glass that could be analyzed with the microprobe represents 20–55 percent liquid remaining, it can be expected that more silicic liquids will occur at lower temperatures. On normative, pseudoternary projections, the general effect of Fe-Ti oxide crystallization for mildly alkalic and transitional basalts is a marked increase in normative quartz. This is caused by a strong systematic convergence, with the appearance of Fe-Ti oxides, of the bulk solid precipitates toward the liquid compositions, as projected on the triangle plagioclase-diopside-olivine. For alkalic basalts, the bulk solid precipitate shows an increase in normative diopside with falling temperature and Fe-Ti oxide crystallization. This causes the liquids to move toward decreasing normative diopside and relatively little variation in nepheline. The experimental observations imply that mildly alkalic and transitional magmas, without stabilizing a Fe-Ti oxide mineral, will not evolve toward early silica saturation.     

Experimental constraints on the origin and evolution of mildly alkalic basalts from the Kerguelen Archipelago, Southeast Indian Ocean

This experimental study examines the role of clinopyroxene fractionation on major element trends and alkalinity variations in mildly alkalic basalts from the Kerguelen Archipelago, Southeast Indian Ocean. Equilibrium crystallization experiments were carried out on a natural basalt (MgO=5 wt.%, alkalinity index=0.10) over a range of pressures (0–1.43 GPa) and water contents (nominally dry to hydrous, 1.2 wt.% H₂O) under relatively oxidizing conditions (Δlog FMQ=+1 to +2) at 0 GPa and relatively reducing conditions (Δlog FMQ=0 to –2) at all higher pressures. The hydrous experiments at 0.93 GPa closely reproduce most of the compositional variations in the 24–25 Ma mildly alkalic lavas from the archipelago, which supports a major role for high-Al clinopyroxene fractionation (5–9 wt.% Al₂O₃) at pressures corresponding to the base of the Northern Kerguelen Plateau (15–20 km). However, clinopyroxene fractionation at depth fails to produce important changes in the alkalinity of the residual melts. The transition from tholeiitic to mildly alkalic basalts on the Kerguelen Archipelago thus reflects primarily changes in melting conditions (lower extents of partial melting at higher pressures), which is related to crustal and lithospheric thickening as distance from the Southeast Indian Ridge increased over time from 43 to 24 Ma.     

Experimental constraints on depths of fractionation of mildly alkalic basalts and associated felsic rocks: Pantelleria,Strait of Sicily

Pantelleria, Italy, is a continental rift volcano consisting of alkalic basalt, trachyte, and pantellerite. At 1 atm along the FMQ buffer, the least-evolved basalt (Mg #= 58.5% norm ne) yields olivine on the liquidus at 1,180° C, followed by plagioclase, then by clinopyroxene, and by titanomagnetite and ilmenite at 1,075°. After 70% crystallization, the residual liquid at 1,025° is still basaltic and also contains apatite and possibly kaersutite. A less alkalic basalt shows the same order of phase appearance. Glass compositions define an Fe-enrichment trend and a density maximum for anhydrous liquids that coincides with a minimum in Mg#.During the initial stages of crystallization at 1 atm, liquids remain near the critical plane of silica-undersaturation until, at lower temperatures, Fe-Ti oxide precipitation drives the composition toward silica saturation. Thus the qtz-normative trachytes and pantellerites typically associated with mildly ne-normative basalts in continental rifts could be produced by low-pressure fractional crystallization or by shallow-level partial melting of alkali gabbro. At 8 kbar, clinopyroxene is the liquidus phase at 1,170° C, followed by both olivine and plagioclase at 1,135°. Because clinopyroxene dominates the crystallizing assemblage and plagioclase is more albitic than at 1 atm, liquids at 8 kbar are driven toward increasingly ne-normative compositions, suggesting that higher-pressure fractionation favors production of phonolitic derivatives.Natural basaltic samples at Pantelleria are aphyric or contain 1–10% phenocrysts of plag olcpx or ol>cpx, with groundmass Fe-Ti oxides and apatite. The lack of phenocrystic plagioclase in two of the lavas suggests that crystallization at slightly higher PH₂O may have destabilized plagioclase relative to the 1-atm results, but there is no preserved evidence for significant fractionation at mantle depths as clinopyroxene is the least abundant phenocryst phase in all samples and contains only small amounts of octahedral Al. The liquid line and phenocryst compositions match more closely the 1-atm experimental results than those at 8 kbar.Although major-element trends in natural liquids and crytals reflect low-pressure fractionation, minor- and trace-element concentrations preserve evidence of multiple parental liquids. Scatter in variation diagrams exceeds that attributable to crystal accumulation in these phenocryst-poor rocks, and the large range in concentrations of P and Ti at high MgO contents cannot be produced by polybaric fractionation nor by mixing with coexisting felsic magmas. Sr and O isotope ratios rule out significant interaction with crystalline upper crust, Mesozoic shelf sediments, or Tertiary evaporites. Positive correlations of compatible and incompatible elements suggest that the basalts are not simply related to one another by closed-system fractional crystallization of a single parental magma. Increasing Ce/Yb with Ce suggests that these relations are not a product of mixing within a replenished magma chamber, nor of mixing with more felsic members of the suite, which have smaller Ce/Yb ratios. Low-pressure fractional crystallization of ol+cpx+ plag±oxides from slightly different parental magmas produced by varying degrees of melting of garnet-bearing peridotite is a possible scenario.Small and infrequently replenished magma reservoirs in this continental rift environment may account for the strongly differentiated nature of the Pantellerian basalts. There is no correlation between Mg# and eruptive frequency, in part because concentration of volatiles in residual liquids offsets the effect of Fe-enrichment on melt density, such that strong Fe-enrichment is no hindrance to eruption.     

High and low pressure phase equilibria of a mildly alkalic lava from the 1965 Surtsey eruption: Implications for the evolution of mildly alkalic and transitional basalts in the south-eastern propagating rift zone of Iceland.

The south-eastern propagating rift zone of Iceland shows a progression from tholeiitic, to transitional, and mildly alkalic basalts going toward the front of the propagator. A petrogenetic model has been formulated based on low and high pressure melting experiments. The evolution of the magmas behind the front of the propagating rift is dominated by near surface processes (e.g., Katla and Hekla volcanic systems). Compared with the one atmosphere liquid line of descent, the Vestmannaeyjar lavas, erupted at the front of the propagating rift, have systematically higher Al₂O₃ and Na₂O contents consistent with the experimentally determined effects of high pressure, Labradoritic plagioclase megacrysts, which occur in the early phase of the Surtsey eruption at the front of the propagator, are consistent with the predicted effect of high pressure on plagioclase composition. On the other hand, augites similar to those of the high pressure experiments are unknown among the phenocryst and xenolith assemblages of the Vestmannaeyjar lavas (and other Icelandic lavas). Petrographic evidence points toward a high water content in the evolved lavas of the Vestmannaeyjar. A relatively high water activity and high pressure in the magma chambers at the front of the propagator could have caused a significant suppression of the liquids temperature, in particular for plagioclase. Seismic and magnetotelluric evidence suggest that magma chambers behind the propagating front occur at the depth equivalent to 2–3 kbar of pressure. At the front, magma chambers have been located by geophysical evidence at significantly greater depths equivalent to 3–8 kbar. The lavas erupted at the front of the propagator are located to the alkalic side of the thermal divide and, therefore, can be expected to evolve toward nepheline saturation under slightly hydrous conditions. The most evolved of these lavas are of ferrobasaltic compositions and may be saturated with augite. The lavas erupted behind the front are located to the transitional side of the divide and evolve toward quartz saturation under essentially anhydrous conditions. In contrast to the Vestmannaeyjar lavas, the lavas behind the propagator often contain augite as a phenocryst. It is concluded that the chemical variation observed along the south-eastern propagating rift of Iceland is an effect of primary chemical features and that water plays a significant role on the liquid lines of descent at the front of the propagator.     

Experimental petrology of alkalic lavas: constraints on cotectics of multiple saturation in natural basic liquids

Experimental study of natural alkalic lava compositions at low pressures (pO₂QFM) reveals that crystallization of primitive lavas often occurs in the sequence olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, nepheline without obvious reaction relation. Pseudoternary liquidus projections of multiply saturated liquids coexisting with plagioclase (±olivine±clinopyroxene±nepheline) have been prepared to facilitate graphical analysis of the evolution of lava compositions during hypabyssal cooling. Use of (TiAl₂)(MgSi₂)_–1 and Fe³⁺ (Al)_–1 exchange components is a key aspect of the projection procedure which is succesful in reducing a wide range of compositions to a systematic graphical representation. These projections, and the experiments on which they are based, show that low pressure fractionation plays a significant role in the petrogenesis of many alkalic lava suites from both continental and oceanic settings. However, the role of polybaric fractionation is more evident in the major element chemistry of these lava suites than in many tholeiitic suites of comparable extent. For example, the lavas of Karisimbi, East Africa, show a range of compositions reflecting a polybaric petrogenesis from primitive picrites at 1360° C/18 kb and leading to advanced low pressure differentiates. Evolved leucite-bearing potassic members of this and other suites may be treated in a nepheline-diopside-kspar (+olivine+leucite) projection. Compositional curvature on the plagioclase+clinopyroxene+olivine+leucite cotectic offers a mechanism to explain resorption of plagioclase in alkalic groundmass assemblages and the incompatibility of albite and leucite. This projection is useful for evaluating the extent of assimilation of the alkalic portions of crustal granulites. Assimilation appears to have played some role in the advanced differentiates from Karisimbi.     

Tholeiitic and alkalic basalts of the oldest Pacific Ocean crust

Approximately 160 Ma old basaltic lavas obtained from ODP Site 801 in the Pigafetta Basin represent the first Jurassic oceanic crust recovered in the Pacific Ocean and the oldest in situ oceanic crust discovered anywhere. The basement consists of an upper alkali olivine basalt sequence and a lower tholeiitic sequence separated by a yellow Fe-rich hydrothermal sedimentary deposit. The aphyric and sparsely plagiodase-olivine±spinel phyric tholeiites exhibit depleted, open–system fractionated characteristics with trace element abundances and Pb–Nd isotopic compositions similar to normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB). The aphyric alkali basalts, although showing some overlap in isotopic composition with MORB, exhibit strong similarities in terms of incompatible element abundances to ocean island basalts (OIB). They could represent either OIB-type off-axis volcanism or an alkalic event possibly associated with the waning stages of spreading axis volcanism in the Pigafetta Basin. All lavas have undergone low-grade anoxic smectite–carbonate alteration, although flows underlying the Fe-rich sediments have suffered hydrothermal alteration and fracturing.     

High and low pressure phase equilibria of a mildly alkalic lava from the 1965 Surtsey eruption: Experimental results

Melting experiments have been performed on a primitive, mildly alkalic glassy lava (10 wt.% MgO) from the 1965 eruption of the Surtsey volcano located at the tip of the south-eastern propagating rift zone of Iceland. At atmospheric pressure, approximately on the FMQ oxygen buffer, olivine (Fo₈₁) crystallizes from 1240°C, followed by plagioclase (An₇₀) from 1180°C and augite from 1140°C. The experimental glasses coexisting with olivine, plagioclase and augite are ferrobasaltic enriched in FeO (13.6–14.2 wt.%) and TiO₂ (4.0–4.4 wt.%). In high pressure, piston-cylinder, graphite-controlled runs, olivine occurs as the liquidus phase until 14 kbar, above which augite is the liquidus phase. Low-Ca pyroxene is not a liquidus phase at any pressure. The high pressure liquids are, relative to the one atmosphere liquids, significantly enriched in Al₂O₃ and Na₂O and depleted in CaO as a result of changes in the crystallizing assemblages. Furthermore, liquidus augite is dominantly subcalcic and shows significant enrichment in Al and depletion in Ti. Subliquidus plagioclase is enriched in sodium relative to low pressure phase compositions. Evaluated in normative projections, contrasting liquid lines of descent are revealed as a function of pressure. At one atmosphere, the multisaturated liquids are located close to the thermal divide defined by the plane olivine-plagioclase-augite, but appear, with advanced degrees of crystallization, to be moving away from the thermal divide toward normative quartz. The augites crystallizing in the one atmosphere experiments are calcic and slightly nepheline normative. In the 10 and 12.5 kbar experiments, the augites become subcalcic and dominantly hypersthene normative. Because of this shift in augite compositions, transitional basaltic liquids may at high pressure evolve from the tholeiitic side of the olivine-plagioclase-diopside normative divide onto the alkalic side. With increasing pressure above 15 kbar, the liquidus augite compositions move back toward the olivine-plagioclase-diopside normative divide.     

Experimental constraints on the mobility of Rhenium in silicate liquids

The volatization of Rhenium (Re) from melts of natural basalt, dacite and a synthetic composition in the CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system has been investigated at 0.1 MPa and 1250-1350 °C over a range of fO₂ conditions from log fO₂ = −10 to −0.68. Experiments were conducted using open top Pt crucibles doped with Re and Yb. Analysis of quenched glasses by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) normal to the melt/gas interface showed concentration profiles for Re, to which a semi-infinite one-dimensional diffusion model could be applied to extract diffusion coefficients (D). The results show Re diffusivity in basalt at 1300 °C in air is log D_Re = −7.2 ± 0.3 cm²/s and increases to log D_Re = −6.6 ± 0.3 cm²/s when trace amounts of Cl were added to the starting material. At fO₂ conditions below the nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) buffer Re diffusivity decreases to and to in dacitic melt. In the CMAS composition, . The diffusivity of Re is comparable to Ar and CO₂ in basalt at 500 MPa favoring its release as a volatile. Our results support the contention that subaerial degassing is the cause of lower Re concentrations in arc-type and ocean island basalts compared to mid-ocean ridge basalts.     

碱性玄武岩中长石巨晶的结构水：红外光谱和核磁共振谱研究

运用傅立叶变换红外光谱技术（ＦＴＩＲ,红外区和近红外区）和质子魔角旋转核磁共振技术（＾１ＨＭＡＳＮＭＲ）对来自安徽女山,江苏盘石山和河北汉诺坝新生代大恶性玄武岩中的４个歪长石巨晶进行了观察,结果显示,这些巨晶含有结构水,主要以Ｈ２Ｏ的形式存在,其中３个样品的结构水含量（Ｈ２Ｏ）分别为４０５μｇ／ｇ,９１５μｇ／ｇ,μｇ／ｇ。这些数据和文献中已有的资源表明,名义上无水的长石族矿物可以是地球上的水储库     

Nature of the clinopyroxene and iron enrichment in alkalic and transitional basaltic magmas

Iron enrichment and clinopyroxene composition are considered to be good indicators of the magmatic parentage of volcanic series produced by fractionation of basaltic magma. Tholeiitic series are in fact believed to be constantly more iron enriched than alkalic series and systematic differences in the clinopyroxene mineralogy of the two suites seem also to be well established. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that such generalization cannot be accepted, as natural conditions can be realized under which the fractionation of alkalic or mildly alkalic basalts may produce series with strong iron enrichment and with clinopyroxene mineralogy atypical for basalts of alkaline affinity.In the Erta'Ale volcanic range (Northern Danakil Depression, Ethiopia), an example of such a serie is found, with a mildly alkalic basaltic magma fractionating under low and falling oxygen fugacity and giving rise to a series with some tholeiitic chemical and mineralogical features.     

Platinum-group element constraints on source composition and magma evolution of the Kerguelen Plateau using basalts from ODP Leg 183

Seventeen basalts from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 183 to the Kerguelen Plateau (KP) were analyzed for the platinum-group elements (PGEs: Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, and Pd), and 15 were analyzed for trace elements. Relative concentrations of the PGEs ranged from ∼0.1 (Ir, Ru) to ∼5 (Pt) times primitive mantle. These relatively high PGE abundances and fractionated patterns are not accounted for by the presence of sulfide minerals; there are only trace sulfides present in thin-section. Sulfur saturation models applied to the KP basalts suggest that the parental magmas may have never reached sulfide saturation, despite large degrees of partial melting (∼30%) and fractional crystallization (∼45%).First order approximations of the fractionation required to produce the KP basalts from an ∼30% partial melt of a spinel peridotite were determined using the PELE program. The model was adapted to better fit the physical and chemical observations from the KP basalts, and requires an initial crystal fractionation stage of at least 30% olivine plus Cr-spinel (49:1), followed by magma replenishment and fractional crystallization (RFC) that included clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and titanomagnetite (15:9:1). The low Pd values ([Pd/Pt]_pm < 1.7) for these samples are not predicted by currently available K_d values. These Pd values are lowest in samples with relatively higher degrees of alteration as indicated by petrographic observations. Positive anomalies are a function of the behavior of the PGEs; they can be reproduced by Cr-spinel, and titanomagnetite crystallization, followed by titanomagnetite resorption during the final stages of crystallization. Our modeling shows that it is difficult to reproduce the PGE abundances by either depleted upper or even primitive mantle sources. Crustal contamination, while indicated at certain sites by the isotopic compositions of the basalts, appears to have had a minimal affect on the PGEs. The PGE abundances measured in the Kerguelen Plateau basalts are best modeled by melting a primitive mantle source to which was added up to 1% of outer core material, followed by fractional crystallization of the melt produced. This reproduces both the abundances and patterns of the PGEs in the Kerguelen Plateau basalts. An alternative model for outer core PGE abundances requires only 0.3% of outer core material to be mixed into the primitive mantle source. While our results are clearly model dependent, they indicate that an outer core component may be present in the Kerguelen plume source.     

Formation and evolution of high-pressure leucogranulites: Experimental constraints and unresolved issues

High-pressure (HP) leucogranulites of the Bohemian Massif are interpreted as the metamorphosed equivalents of HP leucogranites produced by deep crustal melting. This is supported by their preserved mineral assemblages (Grt-Ky-mesoperthite), bulk rock chemistry, P-T estimates, and garnet and accessory phase trace element abundances. Following melting and peak metamorphism, the leucogranulites have been exhumed from lower crustal depths to their present position at the highest structural level of the Gföhl Nappe. The nearisothermal decompression (ITD) P-T path and available geochronological data imply high exhumation rates.The dry character of the leucogranulites reflects the water-undersaturated conditions that prevailed during formation of the precursor leucogranitic melts and their subsequent recrystallization in the middle and lower crust. Compositions of the leucogranulites are displaced towards the Qz-Or join in the Qz-Ab-Or ternary diagram, which corresponds to experimental results for water undersaturated melting. Trace element and REE abundances in whole rocks, garnets and accessory phases are consistent with muscovite and biotite dehydration melting coupled with K-feldspar fractionation or separation as the principal controls on the chemical evolution of the rocks. The melting reactions and protoliths potentially involved in the generation of these HP leucogranite melts are evaluated in the light of available experimental data for water-saturated and dry melting of crustal rocks.     

Triple oxygen isotope constraints on the origin of ocean island basalts

Understanding the origin of ocean island basalts (OIB) has important bearings on Earth’s deep mantle. Although it is widely accepted that subducted oceanic crust, as a consequence of plate tectonics, contributes material to OIB’s formation, its exact fraction in OIB’s mantle source remains ambiguous largely due to uncertainties associated with existing geochemical proxies. Here we show, through theoretical calculation, that unlike many known proxies, triple oxygen isotope compositions (i.e. Δ¹⁷O) in olivine samples are not affected by crystallization and partial melting. This unique feature, therefore, allows olivine Δ¹⁷O values to identify subducted oceanic crusts in OIB’s mantle source. Furthermore, the fractions of subducted ocean sediments and hydrothermally altered oceanic crust in OIB’s mantle source can be quantified using their characteristic Δ¹⁷O values. Based on published Δ¹⁷O data, we estimated the fraction of subducted oceanic crust to be as high as 22.3% in certain OIB, but the affected region in the respective mantle plume is likely to be limited.

     

Isotopic and trace-element indications of lithospheric and asthenospheric components in Tertiary alkalic basalts, northeastern Brazil

Plate reconstructions at 30 Ma place northeastern Brazil over the Fernando de Noronha hotspot, presently 250 km offshore northeastern Brazil. Tertiary basaltic centers in northeastern Brazil may therefore be products of the Fernando de Noronha hotspot. We examined alkalic basalt from seven 30–13 Ma old centers in Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco states to assess this possible link. Compositions are primitive, where MgO concentrations range from 12.5 to 17 wt.%, and SiO₂ from 41 to 48 wt.%. Trace-element abundances and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions compare well with those of ocean island basalt: =0.7038–0.7051, =0.51266–0.51280, and =18.52–19.35. There are correlations among SiO₂-undersaturation, incompatible-element abundances, relative percentages of partial melting (based on La/Yb and La/Y ratios), and the degree of isotopic ‘enrichment' inherited from mantle sources. There is also a negative correlation for La/Nb (0.6–0.86) vs. Ba/Nb (6.6–10.6), where lower La/Nb samples represent larger percentages of melting of a source comparatively enriched in radiogenic Sr. We attribute these compositional relationships to the lavas representing mixing of melts mainly from asthenosphere of largely HIMU plus DM characterization, probably the Fernando de Noronha plume, with melts from subcontinental lithosphere that was isotopically closer to EM1. Isotopic and trace-element compositions of the northeastern Brazil basalts are generally similar to those of Fernando de Noronha lavas (12–2 Ma), and some minor trace-element differences observed (e.g., more Zr, Nb, and less Th compared to northeastern Brazil basalts) are probably due to heterogeneity within the asthenospheric plume and to melt contributions from delaminated subcontinental lithosphere that may underlie Fernando de Noronha.     

西藏中部中仓地区玄武岩锆石U-Pb年龄与岩石地球化学特征：对狮泉河-纳木错弧后洋盆演化的制约

狮泉河-纳木错混杂带的构造属性和演化时限一直存在较大的争议,其研究对认识青藏高原早期形成与演化具有重要的意义。对西藏中仓蛇绿混杂岩中发育的玄武岩端元进行了系统的岩石学、地质年代学和地球化学研究,以揭示其形成时代、岩石成因及构造意义。中仓玄武岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb同位素年龄为115.7±2.0 Ma,与区域上辉长岩的形成时代一致。玄武岩整体具有相对平坦的球粒陨石标准化稀土元素配分曲线,与洋中脊玄武岩相似,且显示Th的富集和Nb、Ta的亏损。研究认为,中仓玄武岩起源于受俯冲沉积物改造的尖晶石橄榄岩地幔部分熔融,形成于弧后扩张脊环境。结合区域上同时期辉长岩的研究结果,认为狮泉河-纳木错混杂带是中生代弧后洋盆消亡的残迹,是班公湖-怒江洋南向俯冲,引发弧后拉张的产物。     

Geochronology and geochemistry of Cenozoic basalts from eastern Guangdong, SE China: constraints on the lithosphere evolution beneath the northern margin of the South China Sea

The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating reveals three episodes of basaltic volcanism in eastern Guangdong of SE China since the late Eocene (i.e., 35.5, ~20 and 6.6 Ma). The Miocene alkali olivine basalts (~20 and 6.6 Ma) have OIB-like trace element characteristics, which is coupled with low (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i, high ε_Nd(t), and high ε_Hf(t). In contrast, the late Eocene basalts (35.5 Ma) have overall characteristics of “Island Arc” basalts with strong negative Ta–Nb–Ti anomalies in the primitive mantle-normalized multi-element diagram with high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i, negative ε_Nd(t), and relatively low ε_Hf(t). All basalts have unexpectedly high ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, delineating a DUPAL signature in the sources. The late Eocene Arc-like basalts may reflect contributions of relict ancient metasomatized mantle lithosphere that melted as the result of extension-induced asthenospheric upwelling and heating, whereas the Miocene OIB-like basalts may represent partial melting of the asthenospheric mantle beneath the thickened lithosphere. We propose that the Cenozoic basaltic volcanism in eastern Guangdong records an overall lithospheric thickening process beneath SE China, that is, a continental rift system from its maximum extension in the late Eocene to its waning in the Miocene. This interpretation is consistent with the evolution of the South China Sea, whose origin is most consistent with the development of a passive continental margin. The seafloor spreading of the South China Sea during ~ 32–16 Ma may not result from the effect of the “Hainan” mantle plume, but rather played a positive role in allowing the mantle plume to express on the surface.     

辽西义县组玄武岩中环带状单斜辉石的成因及其对岩浆演化的约束

辽西四合屯地区早白垩世义县组玄武岩包含大量具环带结构单斜辉石。本文对这些单斜辉石进行了系统的矿物学、主微量元素和原位Sr同位素分析,并探讨了义县组玄武岩的岩浆成因和演化历史。四合屯义县组玄武岩中的单斜辉石主要发育正环带结构,少量为反环带结构。反环带单斜辉石核部主要为透辉石,并具有低的Mg^#(65.5~79.7)和Cr₂O₃(< 0.48%),以及高的Na₂O (0.34%~1.33%)和Al₂O₃(1.02%~3.20%)。它们具有轻稀土元素富集的配分型式,具有明显的Eu和Sr负异常,说明其与斜长石平衡过。在Mg^#-Na₂O/Al₂O₃相关图中,反环带单斜辉石核部总体落入华北古老下地壳麻粒岩中单斜辉石的成分范围,因此其可能是来自下地壳麻粒岩的捕虏晶。反环带单斜辉石幔部和正环带单斜辉石核部主要为普通辉石,它们具有高度一致且变化范围相对窄的化学组成,包括高的Mg^#(84.7~89.2)和Cr₂O₃(0.13%~1.41%),以及低的Na₂O (0.17%~0.48%)和Al₂O₃(1.44%~2.57%)。它们的轻重稀土元素强分馏,与玄武岩全岩组成吻合。利用单斜辉石和基性岩浆之间Fe-Mg及微量元素的分配系数,我们计算了与反环带单斜辉石幔部和正环带单斜辉石核部平衡的岩浆组成,结果表明它们与剔除橄榄石捕虏晶的全岩组成达到平衡,因此这部分单斜辉石是岩浆成因的斑晶。它们相比全岩具有变化范围较宽和整体略高的原位⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr比值(0.7058~0.7085)。岩浆成因单斜辉石结晶温压计算结果(1171~1221℃、0.54~1.08GPa)表明义县组玄武岩的岩浆演化主要发生在下地壳浅部(18~36km)。四合屯义县组玄武岩具有壳幔双重属性,捕虏晶矿物的同化混染和下地壳榴辉岩的拆沉作用并不能合理解释其大陆下地壳属性。本次研究中反环带单斜辉石核部捕虏晶具有较高的HREE含量,它们可能作为源区残留相记录了华北东部古老下地壳在中生代的部分熔融过程,该过程中对应的熔体相则可以解释义县组玄武岩的下地壳属性。因此,我们认为四合屯义县组玄武岩是壳幔相互作用(岩浆混合)的结果。义县组玄武岩的主体来自受俯冲洋壳改造的岩石圈地幔,在下地壳岩浆房或幔源岩浆上升过程中存在少量下地壳来源酸性熔体的混合作用。

     

Amphibole-rich xenoliths and host alkali basalts: petrogenetic constraints and implications on the recent evolution of the upper mantle beneath Ahaggar (Central Sahara,Southern Algeria)

Quaternary basanitic to nephelinitic volcanoes from Tahalra (western Ahaggar, southern Algeria) contain numerous Mg-ilmenite and amphibole-rich inclusions (±olivine, ±salite) and spinel lherzolite (±pargasite) inclusions associated with kaersutite megacrysts. On the basis of petrological, geochemical and Sr isotopic study of representative xenoliths (including a composite nodule defined as a vein cross-cutting peridotite) and lavas, we attribute the series of amphibole-rich xenoliths and megacrysts to segregation under upper mantle conditions from a hydrous high Ti and LREE melt geochemically similar to the Quaternary basanite but isotopically different. Amphibole-rich rocks and megacrysts are the results of magmatic events (less than 40 Ma) probably contemporaneous with the various pre-Quaternary volcanic phases recognized in Ahaggar. The amphibole-rich veins and the Quaternary lavas have a garnet lherzolitic source enriched in REE (7 to 9 times chondritic in LREE, 2 times in HREE). This enrichment probably results from former metasomatic events unrelated to the recent magmatic history. Melts from which these veins precipitated within upper mantle peridotite also account for mantle enrichment processes; they induced a local partial melting and contact metasomatism (pargasitization). The upper mantle beneath the volcanic areas of Ahaggar is veined and hydrous, and consequently lightened: thus, the uplift of basement may be the isostatic response to magmatism and related metasomatism and therefore the result of the Cenozoïc igneous activity.     

Ages,rare-earth element enrichment,and petrogenesis of tholeiitic and alkalic basalts from Kahoolawe Island,Hawaii

Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii (18×11 km), is a basaltic shield volcano with caldera-filling lavas, seven identified postshield vents, and at least two occurrences of apparent rejuvenated-stage eruptive. We examined 42 samples that represent all stages of Kahoolawe volcano stratigraphy for their petrography, whole-rock major-and trace-element contents, mineral compositions, and K–Ar ages. The two oldest shield samples have an average age of 1.34±0.08 Ma, and four postshield samples (3 are alkalic) average 1.15±0.03 Ma; ages of 1.08 and 0.99 Ma for two additional tholeiitic samples probably are minimum ages. Whole-rock major- and trace-element and mineral compositions of Kahoolawe shield and caldera-fill laves are generally similar to the lavas forming Kilauea and Mauna Loa tholeiitic shields, but in detail, Kahoolawe shield lavas have distinctive compositions. An unusual aspect of many postshield Ka-hoolawe lavas is anomalously high REE and Y abundances (up to 200 ppm La and 175 ppm Y) and negative Ce anomalies. These enrichments reflect surficial processes, where weathering and soil development promoted REE-Y transport at the weathering front. Major element abundances (MgO, 10–6 wt.%) for shield and caldera-fill basalts are consistent with fractionation of ol+px+pl in frequently replenished magma reservoirs. In general, tholeiitic basalts erupted from late vents are higher in SiO₂ than the shield lavas, and temporal differences in parental magma compositions are the likely explanation. Alkalic basalts that erupted from vents are comparable in composition to those at other Hawaiian volcanoes. Trace-element abundance ratios indicate that alkalic basalts represent either relatively lower degrees of melting of the shield source or a distinct source. Apparent rejuvenated-stage basalts (i.e., emplaced after substantial Kahoolawe erosion) are tholeiitic, unlike the rejuvenated-stages at other Hawaiian volcanoes (alkalic). Kahoolawe, like several other Hawaiian volcanoes, has intercalated tholeiitic and alkalic basalts in the postshield stage, but it is the only volcano that appears to have produced tholeiitic rejuvenated-stage lavas.