Trace elements geochemistry and petrogenesis of basalt from the southern part of the East Pacific Rise

Trace element geochemistry of basalt samples collected from 6°S-24°S of the southern EPR, representing a super-fast spreading axis is discussed. Trace element data classify these basalts into Normal and Transitional types of MORB, however, LREE enrichment is also observed in few of them. Chondrite normalized REE data plots show highly fractionated nature of these lavas, suggesting their derivation from the primitive mantle source. Petrogenetic modeling of the data suggests variation in the solidus pressure (14–20 kb.) and temperature (1316–1425°C), where 15 to 20% partial melting of the mantle is accountable for the generation of the melt. The pressure and temperature conditions at the beginning of the mantle melting were high along higher latitudes (24°S of EPR), but it gradually lowered down in the lower latitudinal areas (6°S of EPR), supporting for the presence of passively rising upper mantle beneath the Southern EPR.     

The distribution of mantle and atmospheric argon in oceanic basalt glasses

Argon analyses by both high-resolution stepheating and stepcrushing of MORB and Loihi basalt glasses were performed to separate pristine mantle-derived Ar and contaminating atmospheric Ar. In high-vesicularity glasses (> 0.8% vesicles), most of the mantle argon resides in vesicles, from which it is released by crushing or stepheating between 600 and 900 °C. By contrast, in low vesicularity glasses (< permil vesicularity), most mantle argon is dissolved in the glass matrix, as inferred from the correlation with neutron-induced, glass-dissolved argon isotopes (³⁹Ar, ³⁷Ar, ³⁸Ar from K, Ca, Cl). The distribution of mantle Ar between vesicles and glass matrix is well explained by melt-gas equilibrium partitioning at eruption according to Henry’s law, which is compatible with previously determined Henry constants of ∼(5-10) × 10⁻⁵ccSTP ⁴⁰Ar _mantle/g bar. Atmospheric Ar is heterogeneously distributed in all samples. Only a very minor part is dissolved in the glass matrix; a significant part correlates with vesicularity and is released by crushing, most probably from a rather small fraction of vesicles or microcracks that equilibrated with unfractionated air. Other carriers of atmospheric argon are pyroxene microlites and minor phases decomposing at intermediate temperatures that were probably contaminated upon eruption by fractionated atmospheric rare gases. Our high-resolution stepheating and stepcrushing analyses of low vesicularity samples with extraordinary high solar-like ²⁰Ne/²²Ne indicate successful discrimination of unfractionated air as a contamination source and suggest an upper mantle ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar of 32,000 ± 4000 and a Hawaiian mantle plume source ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratio close to 8000.     

A phase diagram for mid-ocean ridge basalts: Preliminary results and implications for petrogenesis

Samples of a primitive mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glass were encapsulated in a mixture of ol (Fo90) and opx (En90) and melted at 10, 15, and 20 kbar. After quenching, the basaltic glass was present as a pool within the ol+opx capsule, but its composition had changed so that it was saturated with ol and opx at the conditions of the experiment. By analyzing the quenched liquid, the location of the ol+opx cotectic in the complex, multicomponent system relevant to MORB genesis was determined.As pressure increases from 1 atm to 10 kbar, the dry ol+opx cotectic moves from quartz tholeiitic to olivine tholeiitic compositions. With further increases in pressure, the cotectic continues to move toward the ol-di-plag join (i.e., toward alkalic compositions). Between 15 and 20 kbar, ol+opx+di-saturated liquids change from tholeiitic to alkalic in character, although part of the ol+opx cotectic is still in the tholeiitic (i.e, hy-normative) part of composition space. At pressures of 10–15 kbar, tholeiitic liquids may be able to fractionate to alkalic liquids on the ol+di cotectic.Primitive MORB compositions come close to but do not actually lie on the ol+opx cotectic under any conditions studied. This suggests that not even the most primitive of known MORBs are primary melts of the mantle. The correspondence of most MORBs to the 1 atm ol+di+plag cotectic suggests that low pressure fractionation was involved in their genesis from parent liquids. Picritic liquids that have been proposed as parents to the MORB suite could equilibrate with harzburgite (or Iherzolite) at 15–20 kbar and thus could be primary. Fractionation of ol from these liquids could yield primitive MORB liquids, but other primary liquids or more complex fractionation paths involving others phases in addition to ol cannot be ruled out. The possibility that these picritic liquids could equilibrate with ol+opx at 25–30 kbar cannot be ruled out.     

Immiscible silicate liquid partition coefficients: implications for crystal-melt element partitioning and basalt petrogenesis

This study investigates partitioning of elements between immiscible aluminosilicate and borosilicate liquids using three synthetic mixtures doped with 32 trace elements. In order to get a good spatial separation of immiscible liquids, we employed a high-temperature centrifuge. Experiments were performed at 1,050–1,150°C, 1 atm, in sealed Fe and Pt containers. Quenched products were analysed by electron microprobe and LA ICP-MS. Nernst partition coefficients (D’s) between the Fe-rich and Si-rich aluminosilicate immiscible liquids are the highest for Zn (3.3) and Fe (2.6) and the lowest for Rb and K (0.4–0.5). The plots of D values against ionic potential Z/r in all the compositions show a convex upward trend, which is typical also for element partitioning between immiscible silicate and salt melts. The results bear upon the speciation and structural position of elements in multicomponent silicate liquids. The ferrobasalt–rhyolite liquid immiscibility is observed in evolved basaltic magmas, and may play an important role in large gabbroic intrusions, such as Skaergaard, and during the generation of unusual lavas, such as ferropicrites.     

Oxygen fugacity and geochemical variations in the martian basalts: implications for martian basalt petrogenesis and the oxidation state of the upper mantle of Mars

The oxygen fugacity of the Dar al Gani 476 martian basalt is determined to be quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) −2.3 ± 0.4 through analysis of olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, and Cr-spinel and is in good agreement with revised results from Fe-Ti oxides that yield QFM −2.5 ± 0.7. This estimate falls within the range of oxygen fugacity for the other martian basalts, QFM −3 to QFM −1. Oxygen fugacity in martian basalts correlates with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and La/Yb ratios, indicating that the mantle source of the basalts is reduced and that assimilation of crust-like material controls the oxygen fugacity. This allows constraints to be placed on the oxidation state of the martian mantle and on the nature of assimilated crustal material. The assimilated material may be the product of early and extensive hydrothermal alteration of the martian crust, or it may be amphibole- or phlogopite-bearing basaltic rock within the crust. In either case, water may play a significant role in the oxidation of basaltic magmas on Mars, although it may be secondary to assimilation of ferric iron-rich material.     

Search for the proverbial mantle osmium sources to the oceans: Hydrothermal alteration of mid-ocean ridge basalt

We present Os and Sr isotopes and Mg, Os, and Sr concentrations for ridge-crest high-temperature and diffuse hydrothermal fluids, plume fluids and ridge-flank warm spring fluids from the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The data are used to evaluate the extent to which (1) the high- and low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) provides Os to the deep oceans, and (2) hydrothermal contributions of non-radiogenic Os and Sr to the oceans are coupled. The Os and Sr isotopic ratios of the high-temperature fluids (265-353 °C) are dominated by basalts (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.2; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.704) but the concentrations of these elements are buffered approximately at their seawater values. The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os of the hydrothermal plume fluids collected ∼1 m above the orifice of Hulk vent is close to the seawater value (=1.05). The low-temperature diffuse fluids (10-40 °C) associated with ridge-crest high-temperature hydrothermal systems on average have [Os] = 31 fmol kg⁻¹, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.9 and [Sr] = 86 μmol kg⁻¹, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.709. They appear to result from mixing of a high-temperature fluid and a seawater component. The ridge-flank warm spring fluids (10-62 °C) on average yield [Os] = 22 fmol kg⁻¹, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.8 and [Sr] = 115 μmol kg⁻¹, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.708. The data are consistent with isotopic exchange of Os and Sr between basalt and circulating seawater during low-temperature hydrothermal alteration. The average Sr concentration in these fluids appears to be similar to seawater and consistent with previous studies. In comparison, the average Os concentration is less than seawater by more than a factor of two. If these data are representative they indicate that low-temperature alteration of MORB does not provide adequate non-radiogenic Os and that another source of mantle Os to the oceans must be investigated. At present, the magnitude of non-radiogenic Sr contribution via low-temperature seawater alteration is not well constrained. If non-radiogenic Sr to the oceans is predominantly from the alteration of MORB, our data suggest that there must be a different source of non-radiogenic Os and that the Os and Sr isotope systems in the oceans are decoupled.     

Length scales of mantle heterogeneities and their relationship to ocean island basalt geochemistry

The upper mantle is widely considered to be heterogeneous, possibly comprising a “marble-cake” mixture of heterogeneous domains in a relatively well-mixed matrix. The extent to which such domains are capable of producing and expelling melts with characteristic geochemical signatures upon partial melting, rather than equilibrating diffusively with surrounding peridotite, is a critical question for the origin of ocean island basalts (OIB) and mantle heterogeneity, but is poorly constrained. Central to this problem is the characteristic length scale of heterogeneous domains. If radiogenic osmium signatures in OIB are derived from discrete domains, then sub-linear correlations between Os isotopes and other geochemical indices, suggesting melt-melt mixing, may be used to constrain the length scales of these domains. These constraints arise because partial melts of geochemically distinct domains must segregate from their sources without significant equilibration with surrounding peridotite. Segregation of partial melts from such domains in upwelling mantle is promoted by compaction of the domain mineral matrix, and must occur faster than diffusive equilibration between the domain and its surroundings. Our calculations show that the diffusive equilibration time depends on the ratios of partition and diffusion coefficients of the partial melt and surrounding peridotite. Comparison of time scales between diffusion and melt segregation shows that segregation is more rapid than diffusive equilibration for Os, Sr, Pb, and Nd isotopes if the body widths are greater than tens of centimeter to several meters, depending on the aspect ratio of the bodies, on the melt fraction at which melt becomes interconnected in the bodies, and on the diffusivity in the solid. However, because Fe-Mg exchange occurs significantly more rapidly than equilibration of these isotopes under solid-state and partially molten conditions, it is possible that some domains can produce melts with Fe/Mg ratios reflecting that of the surrounding mantle but retaining isotopic signatures of heterogeneous domains. Although more refined estimates on the rates of, and controls on, Os mobility are needed, our preliminary analysis shows that heterogeneous domains large enough to remain compositionally distinct in the mantle (as solids) for ∼10⁹ yr in a marble-cake mantle, can produce and expel partial melts faster than they equilibrate with surrounding peridotite.     

The role of apatite in mantle enrichment processes and in the petrogenesis of some alkali basalt suites

Analyses of Sr and REE in apatites from a variety of mantle-derived parageneses are used in conjunction with trace element data from the literature to investigate relationships between alkali basalts and apatite-rich materials in upper-mantle source regions. Despite difficulties in interpretation, positive P-anomalies in the hygromagmatophile element abundance patterns of some continental primary alkali basalts suggest either P-enrichment of their source or assimilation of P-rich material, or both. Amphibole- and apatite-rich xenoliths occur in several alkali-basalt provinces, and by virtue of the P and LREE enrichment represent a probable source of the P anomalies and part of the other trace element enrichments of these magmas. Incorporation of such apatite-rich materials by later primary magmas would be enhanced by the high P₂O₅ concentrations required to achieve apatite saturation in basaltic liquids.In the early stages of mantle diapirism an undersaturated magma, produced by slight partial melting of garnet peridotite, might fractionate as it rises to the range of amphibole stability. Hygromagmatophile element patterns of clinopyroxenite xenoliths indicate that clinopyroxene fractionation could produce P-enriched liquids which might subsequently crystallize amphibole- and apatite-rich materials now represented by xenoliths. During generation of later primary magma, apatite-rich materials might preferentially contaminate the liquids, to yield positive P-anomalies. This model requires that magmas undergo prolonged fractionation at considerable depth (~ 100 km), a process which is apparently most probable in subcontinental environments.An apatite- and zircon-bearing mica-clinopyroxenite xenolith from Matsoku provides a link between the S. African MARID suite and amphibole and apatite-rich xenoliths from various alkali basalt provinces. Unusual REE patterns ($\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{N}}\text{<}\text{Ce}{}_{\mathrm{N}}\text{<}\text{Nd}{}_{\mathrm{N}}\text{,}\text{Ce}{}_{\mathrm{N}}\text{/Y}{}_{\mathrm{N}}\text{?10}$) of apatites in this xenolith suggest a link between the MARID suite xenoliths and postulated pre-Karroo mantle metasomatism.     

Experimental phase and melting relations of metapelite in the upper mantle: implications for the petrogenesis of intraplate magmas

We performed a series of piston-cylinder experiments on a synthetic pelite starting material over a pressure and temperature range of 3.0–5.0 GPa and 1,100–1,600°C, respectively, to examine the melting behaviour and phase relations of sedimentary rocks at upper mantle conditions. The anhydrous pelite solidus is between 1,150 and 1,200°C at 3.0 GPa and close to 1,250°C at 5.0 GPa, whereas the liquidus is likely to be at 1,600°C or higher at all investigated pressures, giving a large melting interval of over 400°C. The subsolidus paragenesis consists of quartz/coesite, feldspar, garnet, kyanite, rutile, ±clinopyroxene ±apatite. Feldspar, rutile and apatite are rapidly melted out above the solidus, whereas garnet and kyanite are stable to high melt fractions (>70%). Clinopyroxene stability increases with increasing pressure, and quartz/coesite is the sole liquidus phase at all pressures. Feldspars are relatively Na-rich [K/(K + Na) = 0.4–0.5] at 3.0 GPa, but are nearly pure K-feldspar at 5.0 GPa. Clinopyroxenes are jadeite and Ca-eskolaite rich, with jadeite contents increasing with pressure. All supersolidus experiments produced alkaline dacitic melts with relatively constant SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents. At 3.0 GPa, initial melting is controlled almost exclusively by feldspar and quartz, giving melts with K₂O/Na₂O ~1. At 4.0 and 5.0 GPa, low-fraction melting is controlled by jadeite-rich clinopyroxene and K-rich feldspar, which leads to compatible behaviour of Na and melts with K₂O/Na₂O ≫ 1. Our results indicate that sedimentary protoliths entrained in upwelling heterogeneous mantle domains may undergo melting at greater depths than mafic lithologies to produce ultrapotassic dacitic melts. Such melts are expected to react with and metasomatise the surrounding peridotite, which may subsequently undergo melting at shallower levels to produce compositionally distinct magma types. This scenario may account for many of the distinctive geochemical characteristics of EM-type ocean island magma suites. Moreover, unmelted or partially melted sedimentary rocks in the mantle may contribute to some seismic discontinuities that have been observed beneath intraplate and island-arc volcanic regions.     

Vesiculation and vesicle loss in mid-ocean ridge basalt glasses: He, Ne, Ar elemental fractionation and pressure influence

Sarda and Graham (1990) proposed that in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs), degassing occurs through equilibrium vesiculation followed by various extents of vesicle loss. This model predicts that in a bulk sample of MORB glass with vesicles, the rare gases represent a binary mixture between a vesicle component and a component dissolved in the melt. As vesiculation is expected to produce very different rare gas concentrations and elemental ratios in gas and melt, binary mixing systematics should be recorded in the MORB rare gas abundance data. Indeed, a large range of ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar∗ ratios was known to exist, but these binary mixing systematics remained elusive because helium was used as a proxy for rare gas abundance because helium is not affected by air addition. Here we show that using Ar instead of He, the ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar∗ ratio is higher where the Ar concentration is lower, as expected from simple binary mixing systematics.Taking advantage of the growing Ne database, we further show that the predicted binary mixing is recorded by the He-Ar and He-Ne couples, provided He concentration is not used to trace vesicle abundance. This is because a significant part of helium remains in the melt due to its higher solubility. In contrast, Ar or Ne concentrations, which can both be corrected for air addition, clearly trace vesicles and yield binary mixing patterns that hold for ridges worldwide. The model of vesiculation and vesicle loss thereby finds geochemical support in the rare gas abundance data.The He-Ne-Ar concentration data is best explained by assuming the ratio of helium to neon or argon solubility is about 5 to 15 times higher than values measured in 1 bar laboratory experiments, due to higher He and lower Ne and Ar solubilities. We propose that this is a pressure effect, and vesiculation mainly occurs during magma ascent in the mantle after melting.     

地幔矿物中CO2流体包裹体的微量元素特征

本文在镜下观测基础上，挑选富含CO2包裹体的地幔橄榄岩的橄榄石、斜方辉石和单斜辉石样品，运用热爆法提取和ICP—MS技术，直接测定了单矿物中CO2流体包裹体的稀土和微量元素含量。在同样条件下，采用四极质谱法测定了CO2等气相成分，并以CO2含量为参考值，得出流体中的微量元素相对含量。热爆样品的显微镜观测表明，靠近颗粒表面的较大的CO2包裹体在1000℃爆裂时均已破裂，所测定的REE和其他微量元素主要来自CO2包裹体。CO2流体／球粒陨石标准化的REE数据表明，地幔CO2流体相对于地幔岩或地幔矿物而言，富集稀土元素，特别是轻稀土元素，LREE／HREE为1．53～11．96，REE分馏程度较大，(La／Yb)N一般大于1。CO2流体／上地幔岩石标准化值研究表明，除Co、Ni外，铁族元素在地幔流体中趋于贫化；Cu、Mo、W、Bi、Ag等热液矿床的重金属成矿元素在地幔CO2流体中富集。     

Partitioning of elements between majorite garnet and melt and implications for petrogenesis of komatiite

Partitioning of elements between majorite garnet and ultrabasic melt has been studied at 16 GPa and 1950° C. Ca, Ti, La, Sm, Gd, Zr, Hf, Fe, Ni, Mn, K, and Na are enriched in the melt, whereas Al, Cr, V, Sc and Yb are concentrated in majorite garnet. Thus, majorite garnet fractionation by partial melting could produce chemical heterogeneities in these elements deviating from chondritic abundance. Using the partitioning behaviour of elements between majorite garnet and ultrabasic melt, the petrogenesis of komatiite is discussed. A simple model to explain the chemical varieties of komatiites is as follows. Aluminadepleted komatiite was generated by partial melting of the primitive mantle at 200–650 km depth, and alumina-enriched komatiite is the product of remelting of the residual solid at the same depths, whereas alumina-undepleted komatiite was formed by partial melting of the primitive upper mantle at depths shallower than 200 km. We suggest the possibility of large-scale chemical layering or heterogeneity in the early Archean upper mantle as an alternative model for komatiite genesis; shallower mantle depleted in majorite garnet and the underlying mantle enriched in majorite garnet. Alumina-depleted and alumina-enriched komatiites in the early Archean might be generated by a high degree of partial melting of the layered mantle. Such chemical layering could have been homogenized by the late Archean. This explains the observations that alumina-depleted and alumina-enriched komatiites were generally formed in the early Archean but alumina-undepleted komatiite was erupted in the late Archean.     

Laboratory biomarker fractionations and implications for migration studies

This paper discusses results from laboratory experiments designed to study possible effects of migration on the distribution of biomarkers in oils and source rock extracts and on the various biomarker indicators which have been used to discuss the source, maturity, biodegradation and depositional environments. The results of the study showed that lower molecular weight n-alkanes eluted from the alumina column faster than higher molecular weight n-alkanes, tricyclic terpanes faster than pentacyclic terpanes and 14β,17β steranes faster than 5α20R steranes. Gammacerane eluted extremely slowly and could be obtained almost as a pure component. Many of these observations duplicate those previously observed in nature and ascribed to migration. The evidence suggests that the effects of migration must be carefully considered when discussing biomarker-based maturity parameters of oils and source rocks. It is proposed that the biomarkers remaining in the source rock after expulsion of oil show low maturity values which might not reflect the actual maturity of the rock.     

Nd-isotopes in selected mantle-derived rocks and minerals and their implications for mantle evolution

The Sm-Nd systematics in a variety of mantle-derived samples including kimberlites, alnoite, carbonatite, pyroxene and amphibole inclusions in alkali basalts and xenolithic eclogites, granulites and a pyroxene megacryst in kimberlites are reported. The additional data on kimberlites strengthen our earlier conclusion that kimberlites are derived from a relatively undifferentiated chondritic mantle source. This conclusion is based on the observation that the _Nd values of most of the kimberlites are near zero. In contrast with the kimberlites, their garnet lherzolite inclusions show both time-averaged Nd enrichment and depletion with respect to Sm. Separated clinopyroxenes in eclogite xenoliths from the Roberts Victor kimberlite pipe show both positive and negative _Nd values suggesting different genetic history. A whole rock lower crustal scapolite granulite xenolith from the Matsoku kimberlite pipe shows a negative _Nd value of -4.2, possibly representative of the base of the crust in Lesotho. It appears that all inclusions, mafic and ultramafic, in kimberlites are unrelated to their kimberlite host.The above data and additional Sm-Nd data on xenoliths in alkali basalts, alpine peridotite and alnoite-carbonatites are used to construct a model for the upper 200 km of the earth's mantle — both oceanic and continental. The essential feature of this model is the increasing degree of fertility of the mantle with depth. The kimberlite's source at depths below 200 km in the subcontinental mantle is the most primitive in this model, and this primitive layer is also extended to the suboceanic mantle. However, it is clear from the Nd-isotopic data in the xenoliths of the continental kimberlites that above 200 km the continental mantle is distinctly different from their suboceanic counterpart.     

北山南部二叠纪海相玄武岩地球化学特征及其构造意义

基于北山南部晚古生代构造演化争议较大,本文对该区4条下—中二叠统代表剖面中的玄武岩进行了岩相学、元素地球化学、及全岩Sr- Nd同位素等研究;并对地层中的中酸性火山岩进行了锆石U- Pb定年。获得英安岩与安山岩的锆石U- Pb年龄分别为289. 5±2. 3Ma和267. 8±3. 1Ma,结合已发表年龄数据及古生物资料,明确了火山岩的喷发时代介于早二叠世亚丁斯克期—中二叠世沃德期。该套玄武岩产于海相地层中,主体为拉斑玄武岩系列;氧化物含量变化较大,TiO 2 含量中等(0. 9%~2. 53%);轻重稀土分馏不明显［(La/Yb) N=1. 6~6. 2］,且无显著Eu异常( δ Eu为0. 79~1. 19);不同程度亏损Nb、Ta、Ti、P等元素,富集La、Ce、Nd、Zr等元素;ε Nd ( t ) 值介于1. 4~10. 9,( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i 值为0. 703365~0. 707285。玄武岩源区为受俯冲物质改造的软流圈地幔,经不同程度熔融所形成;既与岛弧或陆缘弧所产生的火山岩有所差别,又不同于地幔柱或热点所产生的玄武岩,在各判别图解中,大多投入板内玄武岩(WPB)或洋脊玄武岩(MORB)。结合该区域其他地质资料,推测该套玄武岩的产生与北山南部加厚岩石圈的拆沉作用有关。     

海洋Nd同位素演化及古洋流循环示踪研究

海洋Nd同位素演化已经成为示踪陆源风化输入和洋流循环改变的最重要的手段之一,得到了越来越多的应用,并取得了许多重要的成果。海水的Nd同位素组成主要受陆源输入物质控制,热液输入几乎可以忽略。由于Nd在海洋中的停留时间(约500～1000a)略小于海水的平均混合时间(约1500a),且各洋盆有不同的Nd同位素风化输入,因此现代各大洋海水具有不同的Nd同位素组成。在陆源输入稳定的情况下,可以利用海水的Nd同位素组成和演化来示踪水体的混合或洋流循环的改变。目前主要依靠对海洋中水成铁锰结壳、海洋钙质有孔虫壳体、磷酸质鱼骨头或鱼牙齿化石以及沉积物中铁锰氧化物组分等的研究来恢复和反演古海水的Nd同位素组成和演化。4种分析材料各有其优缺点。其中,通过对水成铁锰结壳的Nd同位素分析,基本建立了各大洋新生代以来的主要洋流的Nd同位素组成的长尺度演化。通过有孔虫壳体、鱼化石碎片和沉积物中Fe-Mn氧化物组分可以进行高时间分辨率的古海水Nd同位素演化示踪。利用海水Nd同位素演化可以示踪古洋流通道的开启或闭合,以及获得水体交换的直接信息,为研究构造运动与气候变化之间的关系提供指示。同时,将海水Nd同位素演化与气候变化的指标结合起来,可以用于示踪各种气候条件下洋流循环的改变,将洋流循环的改变与气候变化联系起来,研究两者之间的成因关系。对表层水体的Nd同位素组成的研究则可以示踪不同气候条件下大陆陆源风化输入的改变。     

Some implications of xenolith glasses for the mantle sources of alkaline mafic magmas

The assumption that mafic alkaline magmas are derived from mantle sources with a lherzolite mineralogy has become entrenched in the petrologic literature. Although it is commonly assumed that highly alkaline magmas require metasomatised mantle sources, there is little understanding of the spatial relation of such sources with respect to those of associated more Si-rich transitional magmas. Glasses developed in mantle xenoliths represent natural experiments which may provide some insight on this problem. Highly silica undersaturated glasses developed in the amphibole-garnet clinopyroxenite portion of a composite xenolith from Nunivak Island, Alaska, become quartz normative where they penetrate adjacent spinel lherzolite. A comparison of glass compositions in mantle pyroxenite and lherzolite xenoliths reveals that glasses developed in amphibole pyroxenite xenoliths are in general more silica undersaturated than those in lherzolite xenoliths. This suggests that some highly silica undersaturated magmas such as nephelinites may in fact be derived by the preferential melting of amphibole or amphibole-garnet pyroxenite veins and that the spectrum from nephelinite to transitional alkaline basalt that characterizes many individual alkaline volcanic suites is produced by mixing with melt derived from the host lherzolite as the degree of partial melting increases.     

Nyerereite from carbonatite rocks at Vulture volcano: implications for mantle metasomatism and petrogenesis of alkali carbonate melts Research Article

Vulture volcano displays a wide range of mafic to alkaline, carbonate-, and/or CaO-rich volcanic rocks, with subvolcanic and plutonic rocks together with mantle xenoliths in pyroclastic ejecta. The roles of magmatic volatiles such as CO₂, S, and Cl have been determined from compositions and trapping temperatures of inclusions in phenocrysts, which include the Na-K-Ca-carbonate nyerereite within melilite. We surmise that this alkali carbonate crystallised from an appropriate carbonatitic melt at relatively high temperature. Carbonatitic metasomatic features are traceable throughout many of the mantle xenoliths, and various carbonatitic components are found in the late stage extrusive suite. There is no evidence that alkali carbonatite developed as a separate magma, but it may have been an important evolutionary stage. We compare the rare occurrence of nyerereite at Vulture with other carbonatites and with an unaltered kimberlite from the Udachnaya pipe. We review the evidence at Vulture for associated carbonatitic metasomatism in the mantle, and we suggest that low viscosity alkali carbonatitic melts may have a primary and much deeper origin than previously considered.     

The Fe/ΣFe ratios of MORB glasses and their implications for mantle melting

The Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratio of 104 MORB glasses from the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Red Sea spreading centers have been determined using wet chemical Fe²⁺ analyses and electron microprobe FeO_total measurements. The data provide a new estimate for the MORB oxygen fugacity (fO₂) of 0.41 ± 0.43 (1sigma, N = 100) log units below the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer (FMQ), equivalent to a Fe³⁺/ΣFe = 0.12 ± 0.02 (1sigma, N = 104). This new fO₂ estimate is 0.8 log units more oxidized than the average fO₂ proposed by Christie et al. (1986) (FMQ-1.20 ± 0.44; Fe³⁺/ΣFe = 0.07 ± 0.01; N = 87). This slight difference may be related in part to the 3.5% underestimation of the Fe²⁺ concentration determined by Christie et al. (1986) compared with this study. MORB oxygen fugacity does not display any significant difference between the three main oceanic domains, or between enriched and depleted MORB. Yet, the iron red-ox state ratio shows a broad increase during fractional crystallization. Detailed study of magmatic suites highlights the lack of systematic Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratio fractionation during differentiation. Despite the large variations of inferred partial melting degrees (from 5 to 20%), the present data set does not provide any evidence of Fe³⁺/ΣFe relationships with partial melting proxies such as Na_8.0.Based on the Fe³⁺ systematics during partial melting, it is suggested that the oxidation state of MORB reflects a “buffered mantle melting process” resulting in the apparent compatible behavior of Fe³⁺ during partial melting, and in the relatively constant Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratio irrespective of the extent of melting. This result implies that partial melting processes may be open relative to oxygen. We propose a model where the Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratio in the melt is buffered during partial melting. The MORB Fe₂O₃ systematics can be accounted for by using a fO₂ of FMQ-1 that is equivalent to the average fO₂ reported for abyssal peridotites.     

Changing mantle sources in a suture zone in the heart of Pangea: implications for collisional tectonics during the waning stages of ocean closure

The formation and emplacement of syn-collisional mafic dykes that intrude suture zones and their association with orogenic processes are enigmatic. Southern Iberia records the Late Paleozoic amalgamation of Pangea and exposes today a fragment of Laurussia (South Portuguese Zone), which is spatially juxtaposed with autochthonous Gondwana. Fault-bounded oceanic metasedimentary rocks, mélanges and ophiolite complexes characterize the suture zone and are in turn crosscut by intrusive granitoid rocks and mafic dykes. The generation and emplacement of these mafic dykes and their relationship to the suture zone are undetermined. Field evidence shows the dykes were emplaced at high angles to pre-existing orogenic fabrics in the mélange, granitoid and metasedimentary rocks. Geochemical analyses (major, trace, rare earth elements) indicate the dykes exhibit a mid-ocean ridge basalt signature. U/Pb zircon geochronology reveals the crystallization age of the dykes is ca. 316 Ma and Sm–Nd isotopic analysis suggests a deep mantle source. Taken together, these data support existing temporal constraints on events leading up to the amalgamation of Pangea, and suggest progressive lower crustal delamination during the waning stages of continent–continent collision.