Microcontinents among the accretionary complexes of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt: In situ Re–Os evidence

Major elements and Re–Os isotope ratios were analysed in situ on individual sulfide grains in spinel peridotite xenoliths hosted by Quaternary intraplate basalts from the Tariat volcanic field, Central Mongolia. The sulfides are dominantly high-temperature (>900 °C) Fe-rich monosulfide solid solution (MSS). Some sulfides with low Ni contents may be residual MSS, whereas other sulfides defining a negative Ni–Cu correlation may be crystallization products of fractionated sulfide melts. The subchondritic ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os of some sulfides also indicate they are residual MSS. Os isotope compositions of sulfides reveal the presence of Archean to Proterozoic lithospheric mantle beneath the region. The sulfides have T_RD model ages ranging from 3.0 to 0.2 Ga, with peaks at 1.5–1.3, 1 and 0.7–0.5 Ga. The peak ages are indicative of significant events in the lithospheric mantle at those times. The timing of these events is remarkably consistent with those of the major crust-building events within the Tarvagatay Terrane where the Tariat volcanic field is located. The similarity in the ranges of crustal U–Pb ages and Nd model ages, and our sulfide Os model ages, suggests that the sulfide ages may date metasomatic events in the underlying lithospheric mantle, which were related to tectonothermal events that affected the overlying crust. Radiometric ages from the Tarvagatay Terrane appear to correspond to the Archean model ages from its SCLM counterpart. The last two events (1.1 and 0.7–0.5 Ga) recorded in the Tarvagatay Terrane suggest involvement of the “CAOB mantle” and development of significant juvenile crustal growth in the orogeny.     

Formation of pyroxenite layers in the Totalp ultramafic massif (Swiss Alps) - Insights from highly siderophile elements and Os isotopes

Pyroxenitic layers are a minor constituent of ultramafic mantle massifs, but are considered important for basalt generation and mantle refertilization. Mafic spinel websterite and garnet-spinel clinopyroxenite layers within Jurassic ocean floor peridotites from the Totalp ultramafic massif (eastern Swiss Alps) were analyzed for their highly siderophile element (HSE) and Os isotope composition.Aluminum-poor pyroxenites (websterites) display chondritic to suprachondritic initial γ_Os (160 Ma) of −2 to +27. Osmium, Ir and Ru abundances are depleted in websterites relative to the associated peridotites and to mantle lherzolites worldwide, but relative abundances (Os/Ir, Ru/Ir) are similar. Conversely, Pt/Ir, Pd/Ir and Re/Ir are elevated.Aluminum-rich pyroxenites (clinopyroxenites) are characterized by highly radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os with initial γ_Os (160 Ma) between +20 and +1700. Their HSE composition is similar to that of basalts, as they are more depleted in Os, Ir and Ru compared to Totalp websterites, along with even higher Pt/Ir, Pd/Ir and Re/Ir. The data are most consistent with multiple episodes of reaction of mafic pyroxenite precursor melts with surrounding peridotites, with the highest degree of interaction recorded in the websterites, which typically occur in direct contact to peridotites. Clinopyroxenites, in contrast, represent melt-dominated systems, which retained the precursor melt characteristics to a large extent. The melts may have been derived from a sublithospheric mantle source with high Pd/Ir, Pt/Ir and Re/Os, coupled with highly radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os compositions. Modeling indicates that partial melting of subducted, old oceanic crust in the asthenosphere could be a possible source for such melts.Pentlandite and godlevskite are identified in both types of pyroxenites as the predominant sulfide minerals and HSE carriers. Heterogeneous HSE abundances within these sulfide grains likely reflect subsolidus processes. In contrast, large grain-to-grain variations, and correlated variations of HSE ratios, indicate chemical disequilibrium under high-temperature conditions. This likely reflects multiple events of melt-rock interaction and sulfide precipitation. Notably, sulfides from the same thick section for the pyroxenites may display both residual-peridotite and melt-like HSE signatures. Because Totalp pyroxenites are enriched in Pt and Re, and depleted in Os, they will develop excess radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os and ¹⁸⁶Os, compared to ambient mantle. These enrichments, however, do not possess the requisite Pt-Re-Os composition to account for the coupled suprachondritic ¹⁸⁶Os-¹⁸⁷Os signatures observed in some Hawaiian picrites, Gorgona komatiites, or the Siberian plume.     

Effects of melt percolation on highly siderophile elements and Os isotopes in subcontinental lithospheric mantle: A study of the upper mantle profile beneath Central Europe

The effects of melt percolation on highly siderophile element (HSE) concentrations and Re-Os isotopic systematics of subcontinental lithospheric mantle are examined for a suite of spinel peridotite xenoliths from the 4 Ma Kozákov volcano, Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic. The xenoliths have previously been estimated to originate from depths ranging from ∼32 to 70 km and represent a layered upper mantle profile. Prior petrographic and lithophile trace element data for the xenoliths indicate that they were variably modified via metasomatism resulting from the percolation of basaltic melt derived from the asthenosphere. Chemical and isotopic data suggest that lower sections of the upper mantle profile interacted with melt characterized by a primitive, S-undersaturated composition at high melt/rock ratios. The middle and upper layers of the profile were modified by more evolved melt at moderate to low melt/rock ratios. This profile permits an unusual opportunity to examine the effects of variable melt percolation on HSE abundances and Os isotopes.Most HSE concentrations in the studied rocks are significantly depleted compared to estimates for the primitive upper mantle. The depletions, which are most pronounced for Os, Ir and Ru in the lower sections of the mantle profile, are coupled with strong HSE fractionations (e.g., Os_N/Ir_N ratios ranging from 0.3 to 2.4). Platinum appears to have been removed from some rocks, and enriched in others. This enrichment is coupled with lithophile element evidence for the degree of percolating melt fractionation (i.e., Ce/Tb ratio).Osmium isotopic compositions vary considerably from subchondritic to approximately chondritic (γ_Os at 5 Ma from -6.9 to +2.1). The absence of correlations between ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and indicators of fertility, as is common in many lithospheric mantle suites, may suggest significant perturbation of the Os isotopic compositions of some of these rocks, but more likely reflect the normal range of isotopic compositions found in the modern convecting mantle. Osmium isotopic compositions correspondingly yield model Re-depletion (T_RD) ages that range from essentially modern to ∼1.3 Ga.Our data provide evidence for large-scale incompatible behavior of HSE during melt percolation as a result of sulfide dissolution, consistent with observations of prior studies. The degree of incompatibility evidently depended on melt/rock ratios and the degree of S-saturation of the percolating melt. The high Pt contents of some of these rocks suggest that the Pt present in this pervasively metasomatized mantle was controlled by a phase unique to the other HSE. Further, high Os concentrations in several samples suggest deposition of Os in a minority of the samples by melt percolation. In these rocks, the mobilized Os was characterized by similar to the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios in the ambient rocks. There is no evidence for either the addition of Os with a strongly depleted isotopic composition, or Os with suprachondritic isotopic composition, as is commonly observed under such circumstances.     

Melt/mantle mixing produces podiform chromite deposits in ophiolites: Implications of Re-Os systematics in the Dongqiao Neo-tethyan ophiolite, northern Tibet

Podiform chromite deposits occur in the mantle sequences of many ophiolites that were formed in supra-subduction zone (SSZ) settings. We have measured the Re-Os isotopic compositions of the major chromite deposits and associated mantle peridotites of the Dongqiao Ophiolite in the Bangong-Nujiang suture, Tibet, to investigate the petrogenesis of these rocks and their genetic relationships.The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of the chromite separates define a narrow range from 0.12318 to 0.12354, less variable than those of the associated peridotites. Previously-reported ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of the Os-rich alloys enclosed in the chromitites define two clusters: 0.12645 ± 0.00004 (2 s; n = 145) and 0.12003 to 0.12194. The ultra-depleted dunites have much lower ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os (0.11754, 0.11815), and the harzburgites show a wider range from 0.12107 to 0.12612. The average isotopic composition of the chromitites (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.12337 ± 0.00001) is low compared with the carbonaceous chondrite value (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.1260 ± 0.0013) and lower than the average value measured for podiform chromitites worldwide (0.12809 ± 0.00085). In contrast, the basalts have higher ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, ranging from 0.20414 to 0.38067, while the plagioclase-bearing harzburgite and cumulates show intermediate values of ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os (0.12979 ~ 0.14206). Correspondingly, the basalts have the highest ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios, up to 45.4 ± 3.2, and the chromites have the lowest ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios, down to 0.00113 ± 0.00008. We suggest that melts/fluids, derived from the subducting slab, triggered partial melting in the overlying mantle wedge and added significant amounts of radiogenic Os to the peridotites. Mass-balance calculations indicate that a melt/mantle ratio of approximately 15:1 (melt: ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os: 45.4, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.34484; mantle peridotite: ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.0029, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.11754) is necessary to increase the Os isotopic composition of the chromitite deposits to its observed average value. This value implies a surprisingly low average melt/mantle ratio during the formation of the chromitite deposits. The percolating melts probably were of variable isotopic composition. However, in the chromitite pods the Os from many melts was pooled and homogenized, which is why the chromitite deposits show such a small variation in their Os isotopic composition. The results of this study suggest that the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of chromitites may not be representative of the DMM, but only reflect an upper limit. Importantly, the Os-isotope compositions of chromitites strongly suggest that such deposits can be formed by melt/mantle mixing processes.     

Os mobilization during melt percolation: The evolution of Os isotope heterogeneities in the mantle sequence of the troodos ophiolite, Cyprus

This study focuses on the origin of the Os isotope heterogeneities and the behaviour of Os and Re during melt percolation and partial melting processes in the mantle sequence of the Troodos Ophiolite Complex. The sequence has been divided into an eastern (Unit 1) and a western part (Unit 2) (Batanova and Sobolev, 2000). Unit 1 consists mainly of spinel-lherzolites and a minor amount of dunites, which are surrounded by cpx-bearing harzburgites. Unit 2 consists of harzburgites, dunites, and contains chromitite deposits.Unit 1 (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.1169 to 0.1366) and Unit 2 (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os 0.1235 to 0.1546) peridotites both show large ranges in their Os isotopic composition. Most of the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of Unit 1 lherzolites and harzburgites are chondritic to subchondritic, and this can be explained by Re depletion during ancient partial melting and melt percolation events. The old Os isotope model ages (>800 Ma) of some peridotites in a young ophiolitic mantle show that ancient Os isotopic heterogeneities can survive in the Earth upper mantle. Most harzburgites and dunites of Unit 2 have suprachondritic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios. This is the result of the addition of radiogenic Os during a younger major melt percolation event, which probably occurred during the formation of the Troodos crust 90 Ma ago.Osmium concentrations tend to decrease from spinel-lherzolites (4.35 ± 0.2 ng/g) to harzburgites (Unit 1: 4.06 ± 1.12 ng/g; Unit 2: 3.46 ± 1.38 ng/g) and dunites (Unit 1: 2.71 ± 0.84 ng/g; Unit 2: 1.85 ± 1.20 ng/g). Therefore, this element does not behave compatibly during melt percolation as it is observed during partial melting, but becomes dissolved and mobilized by the percolating melt. The Os contents and Re/Os ratios in the mantle peridotites can be explained if they represent mixing products of old depleted mantle with cpx- and opx-veins, which are crystallization products of the percolating melt. This mixing occurred during the melting of a continuously fluxed mantle in a supra-subduction zone environment.This study shows that Unit 1 and Unit 2 of the Troodos mantle section have a complex and different evolution. However, the Os isotopic characteristics are consistent with a model where the harzburgites and dunites of both units belong to the same melting regime producing the Troodos oceanic crust.     

Re-Os同位素体系在蛇绿岩应用研究中的进展

Re-Os不同于由亲石元素构成的同位素体系，在原始上地幔（PUN）部分熔融过程中，母体Re是中等不相容元素，优先进入熔体相，子体Os是强相容元素，富集在残留相中，是研究蛇绿岩的极好示踪剂。在蛇绿岩应用研究中已经取得了4个方面的进展：（1）明确了熔体相的Re／Os和^187Os／^188Os比值高，而残留相的低；（2）铬铁矿中铂族元素矿物（PGM）的Re亏损年龄（TRD）证实了蛇绿岩中复杂的超镁铁岩体是多阶段部分熔融的产物；（3）现代大洋橄榄岩和玄武岩的Re-Os同位素研究表明熔体相和残留相的^187Os／^188Os比值在高于亏损地幔值（DMM）的部分是一致的，而低于DMM的存在不一致性，为研究蛇绿岩中熔体相与残留相是否存在“耦合”关系提供了新的制约因素；（4）揭示了蛇绿岩地幔橄榄岩中含有古大陆岩石圈地幔，这是前所未知的。虽然取得了不少进展，但是由于Re-Os同位素体系用于蛇绿岩研究的时间较短，尚存在一些问题，如显生宙蛇绿岩地幔橄榄岩的定年问题，有待进一步深化研究。     

In situ measurement of Re-Os isotopes in mantle sulfides by laser ablation multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: analytical methods and preliminary results

A method has been developed for the in situ determination of Re-Os isotopes in single grains of sulfides in mantle-derived peridotites using a laser ablation microprobe attached to a multicollector-induced coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS). High-precision Os isotope analysis by MC-ICPMS is demonstrated by the measurement of interlaboratory Os standards. Evaluation of mass bias correction procedures shows that the exponential law provides the best fit to the Os isotope data and that the ratio of the mass fractionation coefficients for Re and Os remains constant for the range of typical instrument operating conditions. This relationship enables the accurate and precise correction of the isobaric interference of ¹⁸⁷Re on ¹⁸⁷Os for ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os values up to 1.6.Results are presented for single sulfide inclusions in olivine macrocryts from kimberlites in the Siberian and Slave Cratons, and sulfides enclosed in silicates and interstitial to silicates in peridotite xenoliths from the Slave Craton and Massif Central, France. Enclosed sulfides larger than 50 μm in diameter and with Os contents ≥40 ppm give ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios with a precision of 0.1% (2 SE), which is equivalent to N-TIMS whole-rock data. Interstitial sulfides typically have lower Os (10 to 30 ppm) and give analyses with lower precision (∼1 to 2%) but still provide valuable information on the movement of Os within the lithosphere. The sulfide inclusions in silicates preserve significantly less radiogenic Os isotopic compositions than interstitial sulfides and accordingly produce significantly older and more realistic Re-Os age information. Whole-rock Os isotope compositions reflect the proportions of different generations of enclosed and interstitial sulfides; this calls into question the significance of many published “depletion ages.”     

班公湖MOR型蛇绿岩Re-Os同位素特征对班公湖-怒江特提斯洋裂解时间的制约

西藏北部班公湖MOR型蛇绿岩主要由角砾状的地幔橄榄岩和玄武岩组成,其中地幔橄榄岩主要是低Cr#尖晶石相含单斜辉石(Cpx)方辉橄榄岩和少量不含Cpx的方辉橄榄岩,玄武岩具有MORB地球化学特点。岩石地球化学特征和二元混合模拟计算表明,含Cpx方辉橄榄岩是由较为亏损的方辉橄榄岩与玄武质熔体发生反应再富集形成的,玄武质熔体和方辉橄榄岩的混合比例为1∶9至1∶4。9个含Cpx方辉橄榄岩样品(含5个重复测试样)的Re和Os含量分别为0.19×10-9~1.49×10-9和2.91×10-9~5.40×10-9,187Re/188Os变化范围为0.169±0.009(2σ)~1.833±0.183(2σ),187Os/188Os变化范围相对较小,介于0.121 13±0.000 44~0.128 53±0.000 36(2σ)之间。含Cpx方辉橄榄岩的Re-Os参考等时线年龄为254±28 Ma。由于不同比例熔体的加入造成橄榄岩具有不同的Re/Os比值,因而不同含Cpx方辉橄榄岩样品具有不同187Os/188Os比值。样品的Re含量与烧失量中的H2O没有相关性,说明蛇纹石化对样品Re-Os体系的影响可以忽略,Re-Os同位素体系在低温地质作用下能够保持相对封闭。参考等时线年龄可能代表亏损方辉橄榄岩与玄武质熔体发生反应的时间,即含Cpx方辉橄榄岩的形成年龄,它表明在该时期特提斯洋经历了一次构造热事件。这一构造岩浆热事件的时间与早期定义的班公湖-怒江特提斯洋的裂解时间晚二叠世至早三叠世较为一致,推测本文MOR型蛇绿岩地幔橄榄岩的Re-Os同位素年龄可能代表班公湖-怒江特提斯洋开始裂解的时间。     

Platinum-group element geochemistry of peridotite xenoliths from the Sierra Nevada and the Basin and Range, California

The nature of PGE-Re (PGE = Pt, Pd, Os, Ir, Ru) behavior in subcontinental lithospheric mantle was investigated using new, high precision PGE-Re abundance measurements and previously published Re-Os isotopic analyses of peridotite xenoliths from the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Province, California. Ru/Ir ratios and Ir concentrations are constant over a wide range in S content and major-element fertility indices (e.g., Mg/(Mg+Fe)), indicating that Ru and Ir are not only compatible during partial melting, but also that their partitioning behaviors may not be controlled entirely by sulfide. Pt/Ir, Pd/Ir, Os/Ir, and Re/Ir ratios range from slightly superchondritic to distinctly subchondritic for all xenoliths except for one anomalous sample (1026V), which is characterized by radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, low Re/Os ratio, and large enrichments in Cu, Os, Pt, Pd, and S relative to Ir (COPPS metasomatism). Assuming chondritic initial relative abundances, the magnitudes of some of the depletions in Pt, Pd, Os, and Re relative to Ir and Ru require incompatible behavior or substantial secondary loss. In detail, some samples, which are otherwise characterized by fertile major-element indices, exhibit low S contents and subchondritic Os/Ir and Pd/Ir ratios, indicating that depletions in Pd and Os relative to Ir are not simple functions of the degree of melting as inferred from major elements. Possible mechanisms for depleting Pt, Pd, Os, and Re relative to Ir and Ru include partitioning into chromian spinels and alloys, partitioning between sulfide and sulfide liquids, mobilization by aqueous fluids, or secondary loss associated with late-stage sulfide breakdown. However, it is not possible to explain all of the depletions in Pt, Pd, Os, and Re by any single mechanism.The preferential enrichment in Os over Re and Ir in sample 1026V is somewhat paradoxical because this sample’s radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os requires a metasomatic agent, originating from a source with a high time-integrated Re/Os ratio. The abundant garnet websterite xenoliths may be a suitable source because they have high Re/Os ratios, radiogenic Os, and abundant garnet, which may sequester Re over Os during partial melting. However, their extremely low Os contents require the processing of large amounts of garnet websterite to concentrate enough Os into the metasomatic sulfides needed to enrich sample 1026V in Os. The homogeneity in ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio in the remaining xenoliths suggest that their Os isotopic compositions were not significantly affected by PGE metasomatism. The singular nature of 1026V’s composition emphasizes the rarity of COPPS metasomatism.     

Osmium isotope and highly siderophile element geochemistry of mantle xenoliths from NW Turkey: implications for melt depletion and metasomatic history of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle

Ultramafic xenoliths entrained in the late Miocene alkali basalts and basanites from NW Turkey include refractory spinel-harzburgites and dunites accompanied by subordinate spinel-lherzolites. Whole-rock major and trace element characteristics indicate that the xenoliths are mostly the solid residues of varying degrees of partial melting (～4–～15%), but some have geochemical signatures reflecting the processes of melt/rock interaction. Mantle-normalized trace element patterns for the peridotites vary from LREE-depleted to strongly LREE-enriched, reflecting multistage mantle processes from simple melt extraction to metasomatic enrichment. Rhenium and platinum group element (PGE) abundances and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os systematics of peridotites were examined in order to identify the nature of the mantle source and the processes effective during variable stages of melt extraction within the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The peridotites are characterized by chondritic Os/Ir and Pt/Ir ratios and slightly supra-chondritic Pd/Ir and Rh/Ir ratios, representing a mantle region similar in composition to the primitive mantle (PM). Moderate enrichment in PPGE (Pd–Pt–Rh)/IPGE (Ir–Os–Ru) ratios with respect to the PM composition in the metasomatized samples, however, reflects compositional modification by sulphide addition during possible post-melting processes. The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of the peridotites range from 0.11801 to 0.12657. Highly unradiogenic Os isotope compositions (γOs at 10 Ma from –7.0 to –3.2) in the chemically undisturbed mantle residues are accompanied by depletion in Re/Os ratios, suggesting long-term differentiation of SCLM by continuous melt extraction. For the metasomatized peridotites, however, systematic enrichments in PPGE and Re abundances, and the observed positive covariance between ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os and γOs can most likely be explained by interaction of solid residues with basaltic melts produced by melting of relatively more radiogenic components in the mantle. Significantly, the wide range of ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios characterizing the entire xenolith suite seems to be consistent with multistage evolution of SCLM and suggests that parts of the lithospheric mantle contain materials that have experienced ancient melt removal (～1.3 Ga) which created time-integrated depletion in Re/Os ratios; in contrast, some other parts display evidence indicative of recent perturbation in the Re–Os system by sulphide addition during interaction with metasomatizing melts.     

Unravelling the effects of melt depletion and secondary infiltration on mantle Re-Os isotopes beneath the French Massif Central

Spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Mont Briançon, French Massif Central, retain evidence for multiple episodes of melt depletion and melt/fluid infiltration (metasomatism). Evidence for primary melt depletion is still preserved in the co-variation of bulk-rock major elements (MgO 38.7-46.1 wt.%; CaO 0.9-3.6 wt.%), and many samples yield unradiogenic bulk-rock Os isotope ratios (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.11541-0.12626). However, many individual xenoliths contain interstitial glasses and melt inclusions that are not in equilibrium with the major primary minerals. Incompatible trace element mass balance calculations demonstrate that metasomatic components comprise a significant proportion of the bulk-rock budget for these elements in some rocks, ranging to as much as 25% of Nd and 40% of Sr Critically, for Re-Os geochronology, melt/fluid infiltration is accompanied by the mobilisation of sulfide. Consequently, bulk-rock isotope measurements, whether using lithophile (e.g. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd) or siderophile (Re-Os) based isotope systems, may only yield a perturbed and/or homogenised average of these multiple events.Osmium mass balance calculations demonstrate that bulk-rock Os in peridotite is dominated by contributions from two populations of sulfide grain: (i) interstitial, metasomatic sulfide with low [Os] and radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, and (ii) primary sulfides with high [Os] and unradiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, which have been preserved within host silicate grains and shielded from interaction with transient melts and fluid. The latter can account for >97% of bulk-rock Os and preserve geochronological information of the melt from which they originally precipitated as an immiscible liquid. The Re-depletion model ages of individual primary sulfide grains preserve evidence for melt depletion beneath the Massif Central from at least 1.8 Gyr ago despite the more recent metasomatic event(s).     

Highly siderophile element composition of the Earth’s primitive upper mantle: Constraints from new data on peridotite massifs and xenoliths

Osmium, Ru, Ir, Pt, Pd and Re abundances and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os data on peridotites were determined using improved analytical techniques in order to precisely constrain the highly siderophile element (HSE) composition of fertile lherzolites and to provide an updated estimate of HSE composition of the primitive upper mantle (PUM). The new data are used to better constrain the origin of the HSE excess in Earth’s mantle. Samples include lherzolite and harzburgite xenoliths from Archean and post-Archean continental lithosphere, peridotites from ultramafic massifs, ophiolites and other samples of oceanic mantle such as abyssal peridotites. Osmium, Ru and Ir abundances in the peridotite data set do not correlate with moderately incompatible melt extraction indicators such as Al₂O₃. Os/Ir is chondritic in most samples, while Ru/Ir, with few exceptions, is ca. 30% higher than in chondrites. Both ratios are constant over a wide range of Al₂O₃ contents, but show stronger scatter in depleted harzburgites. Platinum, Pd and Re abundances, their ratios with Ir, Os and Ru, and the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio (a proxy for Re/Os) show positive correlations with Al₂O₃, indicating incompatible behavior of Pt, Pd and Re during mantle melting. The empirical sequence of peridotite-melt partition coefficients of Re, Pd and Pt as derived from peridotites () is consistent with previous data on natural samples. Some harzburgites and depleted lherzolites have been affected by secondary igneous processes such as silicate melt percolation, as indicated by U-shaped patterns of incompatible HSE, high ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, and scatter off the correlations defined by incompatible HSE and Al₂O₃. The bulk rock HSE content, chondritic Os/Ir, and chondritic to subchondritic Pt/Ir, Re/Os, Pt/Re and Re/Pd of many lherzolites of the present study are consistent with depletion by melting, and possibly solid state mixing processes in the convecting mantle, involving recycled oceanic lithosphere. Based on fertile lherzolite compositions, we infer that PUM is characterized by a mean Ir abundance of 3.5 ± 0.4 ng/g (or 0.0080 ± 0.0009*CI chondrites), chondritic ratios involving Os, Ir, Pt and Re (Os/Ir_PUM of 1.12 ± 0.09, Pt/Ir_PUM = 2.21 ± 0.21, Re/Os_PUM = 0.090 ± 0.002) and suprachondritic ratios involving Ru and Pd (Ru/Ir_PUM = 2.03 ± 0.12, Pd/Ir_PUM = 2.06 ± 0.31, uncertainties 1σ). The combination of chondritic and modestly suprachondritic HSE ratios of PUM cannot be explained by any single planetary fractionation process. Comparison with HSE patterns of chondrites shows that no known chondrite group perfectly matches the PUM composition. Similar HSE patterns, however, were found in Apollo 17 impact melt rocks from the Serenitatis impact basin [Norman M.D., Bennett V.C., Ryder G., 2002. Targeting the impactors: siderophile element signatures of lunar impact melts from Serenitatis. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett, 217-228.], which represent mixtures of chondritic material, and a component that may be either of meteoritic or indigenous origin. The similarities between the HSE composition of PUM and the bulk composition of lunar breccias establish a connection between the late accretion history of the lunar surface and the HSE composition of the Earth’s mantle. Although late accretion following core formation is still the most viable explanation for the HSE abundances in the Earth’s mantle, the “late veneer” hypothesis may require some modification in light of the unique PUM composition.     

A radiogenic Os component in the oceanic lithosphere? Constraints from Hawaiian pyroxenite xenoliths

Platinum Group Element (PGE) concentrations in garnet pyroxenite xenoliths from Oahu, Hawaii, are significantly lower than those in mantle peridotites and show fractionated patterns (e.g. Pd_N/Os_N = 2-10, Pd_N/Ir_N = 4-24; N = chondrite normalized) and very high Re_N/Os_N ratios (∼9-248). Mass balance calculations show that the bulk rock pyroxenite PGE inventory is controlled by the presence of sulfide phases. The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of these pyroxenites vary from subchondritic to suprachondritic (0.123-0.164); and the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios show good correlations with bulk rock and clinopyroxene major and trace element compositions, and bulk rock PGE and sulfur abundances. These observations suggest that the Os isotope compositions in these pyroxenites largely reflect primary processes in the oceanic mantle and Pacific lithosphere.In contrast, bulk rock ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios do not correlate with other lithophile isotopic tracers (e.g. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf) which show limited isotopic variability (Bizimis et al., 2005). This and the lack of ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os vs. Re/Os correlations suggest that the range in Os isotope ratios is not likely the result of mixing between long-lived depleted and enriched components or aging of these pyroxenites within the Pacific lithosphere after its formation at a mid-oceanic ridge setting some 80-100 million years ago. We interpret the Os isotopes, PGE and lithophile element systematics as the result of melt-lithosphere interaction at the base of the Pacific lithosphere. The major and trace element systematics of the clinopyroxenes and bulk rock pyroxenites and the relatively constant lithophile element isotope systematics are best explained by fractional crystallization of a rather homogenous parental magma. We suggest that during melt crystallization and percolation within the lithosphere, the parental pyroxenite melt assimilated radiogenic Os from the grain boundaries of the peridotitic lithosphere. This radiogenic Os component may reside in the grain boundary sulfides or other trace phases, and may be due to fluids or melts that had previously percolated through the basal part of the lithosphere during its transit from a mid-oceanic ridge to its present position above the Hawaiian plume. As the solidus of the parental pyroxenite melt is lower than the solidus of the lithospheric peridotite, we envision that the pyroxenite-parent melt selectively assimilated the grain boundary sulfide phases with lower melting temperature as it percolated through the lithosphere, without significantly reacting with the silicate minerals. Thus while the parental melt of these pyroxenites originate within the Hawaiian plume, melt-lithosphere interaction during progressive crystallization may have selectively enriched the resulting melts with radiogenic Os, thereby decoupling Os from the lithophile element isotopes, but retaining a link between Os, PGE and fractional crystallization systematics. In this model, Oahu pyroxenites essentially represent melts from different stages of this melt-mantle reaction process at the base of the lithosphere, and we suggest that this process may also explain the similar Os vs. lithophile element decoupling seen in the rejuvenated volcanism in Oahu and Kauai. We further show that the pyroxenites do not posses the requisite Pt/Re ratios, where upon, recycling and aging would generate the coupled enrichments of ¹⁸⁶Os-¹⁸⁷Os isotope ratios observed in Hawaiian and other lavas.     

Re–Os evidence for the age and origin of peridotites from the Dabie–Sulu ultrahigh pressure metamorphic belt,China

Serpentinized garnet peridotites from the Xugou peridotite body of the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane, central eastern China, are refractory (olivines have Fo_91.7–93.1), indicating their origin as residual mantle. Negative correlations between whole-rock MgO and TiO₂, Al₂O₃, total Fe₂O₃ and CaO (r = − 0.90 to − 0.95) and positive correlations between whole-rock Al₂O₃ and CaO and incompatible elements [Li, V, Cu, Ga, Sr, Y, Zr, heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), Hf, Pb and U] (r = 0.69 to 0.98) likely reflect melt depletion trends. Four highly refractory samples were selected for Re–Os isotopic analysis. Although they show evidence of variable enrichment of incompatible elements during serpentinization/metasomatism, no correlations exist between ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os or ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os with either La or Re (r = 0.00 to 0.17). These results indicate that any Re addition was fairly recent and did not affect the Os isotopic composition significantly. The correlation between ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios thus, most likely reflects an ancient melt extraction event.The T_RD, T_MA and errorchron ages of the Xugou peridotites are all similar, suggesting that these peridotites formed around 2.0 Ga ago. This age is similar to Os model ages of mantle peridotites from the Dabie terrane, but contrasts markedly with the Archean ages of the continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) beneath the eastern block of the North China craton (NCC). If we assume that the Dabie–Sulu belt formed by the Triassic collision of the Yangtze craton with the eastern block of NCC and that the Archean aged CLM of the latter persisted until the Triassic, the Paleoproterozoic ages suggest derivation of these Dabie–Sulu mantle peridotites from the Yangtze craton. A Yangtze craton origin is consistent with the existing tectonic model of the Dabie–Sulu UHP belt. Our results support the hypothesis that the crust and underlying lithospheric mantle of the Yangtze craton were subducted to depths of > 180–200 km to form the world's largest UHP belt.     

Platinum-osmium isotope evolution of the Earth’s mantle: Constraints from chondrites and Os-rich alloys

Separation of a metal-rich core strongly depleted the silicate portion of the Earth in highly siderophile elements (HSE), including Pt, Re, and Os. To address the issues of how early differentiation, partial melting, and enrichment processes may have affected the relative abundances of the HSE in the upper mantle, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os data for chondrites are compared with data for Os-rich alloys from upper mantle peridotites. Given that ¹⁸⁷Os and ¹⁸⁶Os are decay products of ¹⁸⁷Re and ¹⁹⁰Pt, respectively, these ratios can be used to constrain the long-term Re/Os and Pt/Os of mantle reservoirs in comparison to chondrites. Because of isotopic homogeneity, H-group ordinary and other equilibrated chondrites may be most suitable for defining the initial ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os of the solar system. The ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios for five H-group ordinary chondrites range only from 0.1198384 to 0.1198408, with an average of 0.1198398 ± 0.0000016 (2σ). Using the measured Pt/Os and ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os for each chondrite, the calculated initial ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os at 4.567 Ga is 0.1198269 ± 0.0000014 (2σ). This is the current best estimate for the initial ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os of the bulk solar system. The mantle evolution of ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os can be defined via examination of mantle-derived materials with well-constrained ages and low Pt/Os. Two types of mantle-derived materials that can be used for this task are komatiites and Os-rich alloys. The alloys are particularly valuable in that they have little or no Re or Pt, thus, when formed, evolution of both ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os ceases. Previously published results for an Archean komatiite and new results for Os-rich alloys indicate that the terrestrial mantle evolved with Pt-Os isotopic systematics that were indistinguishable from the H-group ordinary and some enstatite chondrites. This corresponds to a Pt/Os of 2.0 ± 0.2 for the primitive upper mantle evolution curve. This similarity is consistent with previous arguments, based on the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os systematics and HSE abundances in the mantle, for a late veneer of materials with chondritic bulk compositions controlling the HSE budget of the upper mantle. It is very unlikely that high pressure metal-silicate segregation leading to core formation can account for the elemental and isotopic compositions of HSE in the upper mantle.     

云南马关地区岩石圈地幔组成和年龄:地幔橄榄岩包体的Re-Os同位素限制

本文对马关地区新生代碱性玄武岩中的地幔包体进行了系统的岩石学和地球化学研究,并首次进行了包体的Re-Os同位素测试。马关地区的橄榄岩包体主量成分上表现为饱满肥沃的特征;具有不同程度的轻稀土亏损特征,亏损Nb、Ti和Zr等高场强元素(HFSE)以及Ba等大离子亲石元素(LILE);橄榄岩包体的Nd同位素特征表明橄榄岩包体代表的是不均一的亏损地幔。5个橄榄岩全岩样品的Re-Os同位素分析结果表明,样品的Os含量总体较高(3.29×10^-9~3.78×10^-9),接近于造山带橄榄岩体的Os含量,Re含量变化范围较大(0.24×10^-9~0.54×10^-9),与Re的迁移能力较强有关。样品的¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os值在0.12295~0.12530之间变化,与¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os值和Al₂O₃含量之间都不存在较好的相关性,说明Re-Os体系不单纯由熔体抽取过程所控制。橄榄岩包体的Re亏损年龄t_RD为254~604Ma,说明马关地区岩石圈地幔形成的时代应该在新元古代之前。马关地区岩石圈地幔并非是由软流圈上涌新增生的地幔,而是经历了如下演化历史:在新元古代之前,由原始地幔的部分熔融和熔体抽取作用形成了岩石圈地幔,之后经历了熔/流体交代和改造而发生了再富集作用,导致部分地幔橄榄岩逐渐从亏损难熔的特征向饱满肥沃转变,而未遭受熔/流体的改造的橄榄岩仍然保持了难熔亏损的特征。这种熔/流体交代和改造作用很可能与晚二叠纪峨眉山地幔柱的活动有关,而新生代以来印度-亚洲大陆碰撞导致地幔物质向东南方向的侧向流动,诱发软流圈上涌和马关地区的钾质岩浆的活动,也对马关地区岩石圈地幔的改造具有重要的影响,但由于喷发时间较新对Os同位素组成的影响还未显现出来。     

Archean-Paleoproterozoic Lithospheric Mantle at the Northern Margin of the North China Craton Represented by Tectonically Exhumed Peridotites

Tectonically emplaced peridotites from North Hebei Province, North China Craton, have retained an original harzburgite mineral assemblage of olivine(54%–58%) + orthopyroxene(40%–46%)+minor clinopyroxene(1%)+spinel. Samples with boninite-like chemical compositions also coexist with these peridotites. The spinels within the peridotites have high-Al end-members with Al_2O_3 content of 30 wt % –50 wt %, typical of mantle spinels. When compared with experimentally determined melt extraction trajectories, the harzburgites display a high degree of melting and enrichment of SiO_2, which is typical of cratonic mantle peridotites. The peridotites display variably enriched light rare earth elements(REEs), relatively depleted middle REEs and weakly fractionated heavy REEs, which suggest a melt extraction of over 25% in the spinel stability field. The occurrence of arc-and SSZ-type chromian spinels in the peridotites suggests that melt extraction and metasomatism occurred mostly in a subduction-related setting. This is also supported by the geochemical data of the coexisting boninite-like samples. The peridotites have ~(187)Os/~(188)Os ratios ranging from 0.113–0.122, which is typical of cratonic lithospheric mantle. These ~(187)Os/~(188)Os ratios yield model melt extraction ages(TRD) ranging from 981 Ma to 2054 Ma, which may represent the minimum estimation of the melt extraction age. The Al_2O_3-~(187)Os/~(188)Os-proxy isochron ages of 2.4 Ga–2.7 Ga suggest a mantle melt depletion age between the Late Achaean and Early Paleoproterozoic. Both the peridotites and boninite-like rocks are therefore interpreted as tectonically exhumed continental lithospheric mantle of the North China Craton, which has experienced mantle melt depletion and subduction-related mantle metasomatism during the Neoarchean-Paleoproterozoic.     

Mineralogical and geochemical constraints on the shallow origin, ancient veining, and multi-stage modification of the Lherz peridotite

New major- and trace-element data of bulk-rocks and constituent minerals, and whole-rock Re-Os isotopic compositions of samples from the Lherz Massif, French Pyrenees, reveal complex petrological relationships between the dominant lithologies of lherzolite ± olivine-websterite and harzburgite. The Lherz peridotite body contains elongate, foliation parallel, lithological strips of harzburgite, lherzolite, and olivine-websterite cross-cut by later veins of hornblende-bearing pyroxenites. Peridotite lithologies are markedly bimodal, with a clear compositional gap between harzburgites and lherzolites ± olivine-websterite. Bulk-rock and mineral major-element oxide (Mg-Fe-Si-Cr) compositions show that harzburgites are highly-depleted and result from ∼20-25 wt.% melt extraction at pressures <2 GPa. Incompatible and moderately-compatible trace-element abundances of hornblendite-free harzburgites are analogous to some mantle-wedge peridotites. In contrast, lherzolites ± olivine-websterite overlap estimates of primitive mantle composition, yet these materials are composite samples that represent physical mixtures of residual lherzolites and clinopyroxene dominated cumulates equilibrated with a LREE-enriched tholeiitic melt. Trace-element compositions of harzburgite, and some lherzolite bulk-rocks and pyroxenes have been modified by; (1) wide-spread interaction with a low-volume LREE-enriched melt +/− fluid that has disturbed highly-incompatible elements (e.g., LREEs, Zr) without enrichment of alkali- and Ti-contents; and (2) intrusion of relatively recent, small-volume, hornblendite-forming, basanitic melts linked to modal and cryptic metasomatism resulting in whole-rock and pyroxene Ti, Na and MREE enrichment.Rhenium-Os isotope systematics of Lherz samples are also compositionally bimodal; lherzolites ± olivine-websterite have chondritc to suprachondritic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os values that overlap the range reported for Earth’s primitive upper mantle, whereas harzburgites have sub-chondritic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os values. Various Os-model age calculations indicate that harzburgites, lherzolites, and olivine-websterites have been isolated from convective homogenisation since the Meso-Proterozoic and this broadly coincides with the time of melt extraction controlled by harzburgite Os-isotope compositions. The association between harzburgites resulting from melting in mantle-wedge environments and Os-rich trace-phases (laurite-erlichmanite sulphides and Pt-Os-Ir-alloys) suggests that a significant portion of persistent refractory anomalies in the present-day convecting mantle of Earth may be linked to ancient large-scale melting events related to wide-spread subduction-zone processing.     

Age and sources of the ore at Tharsis and Rio Tinto, Iberian Pyrite Belt, from Re-Os isotopes

Re-Os isotopes were used to constrain the source of the ore-forming elements of the Tharsis and Rio Tinto mines of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, and the timing of mineralization. The pyrite from both mines has simila]r Os and Re concentrations, ranging between 0.05–0.7 and 0.6–66 ppb, respectively. ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios range from about 14 to 5161. Pyrite-rich ore samples from the massive ore of Tharsis and two samples of stockwork ore from Rio Tinto yield an isochron with an age of 346 ± 26 Ma, and an initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of about 0.69. Five samples from Tharsis yield an age of 353 ± 44 Ma with an initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of about 0.37. A sample of massive sulfide ore from Tharsis and one from Rio Tinto lie well above both isochrons and could represent Re mobilization after mineralization. The pyrite Re-Os ages agree with the paleontological age of 350 Ma of the black shales in which the ores are disseminated. Our data do not permit us to determine whether the Re-Os isochron yields the original age of ore deposition or the age of the Hercynian metamorphism that affected the ores. However, the reasonable Re-Os age reported here indicates that the complex history of the ores that occurred after the severe metamorphic event that affected the Iberian Pyrite Belt massive sulfide deposits did not fundamentally disturb the Re-Os geochronologic system. The highly radiogenic initial Os isotopic ratio agrees with previous Pb isotopic studies. If the initial ratio is recording the initial and not the metamorphic conditions, then the data indicate that the source of the metals was largely crustal. The continental margin sediments that underlie the deposits (phyllite-quartzite group) or the volcanic rocks (volcanogenic-sedimentary complex) in which the ores occur are plausible sources for the ore-forming metals and should constrain the models for the genesis of these deposits. Received: 15 March 1999 / Accepted: 26 July 1999     

Re–Os geochronology on sulfides from the Tudun Cu–Ni sulfide deposit,Eastern Tianshan,and its geological significance

The Tudun deposit is a medium-sized Cu–Ni sulfide deposit, located at the westernmost edge of the Huangshan–Jing’erquan Belt in the northern part of Eastern Tianshan, NW China. Sulfide separates including pentlandite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite from the Tudun deposit, contain Re, common Os and ¹⁸⁷Os ranging from 40.46 to 201.2, 0.8048 to 6.246 and 0.1709 to 0.9977 ppb, respectively. They have very low ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of 1.224–2.352. The sulfides yield a Re–Os isochron age of 270.0 ± 7.5 Ma (MSWD = 1.3), consistent within uncertainty with the SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age for the Tudun mafic intrusion (gabbro) of 280.0 ± 3.0 Ma. The calculated initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio is 0.533 ± 0.022, and γOs values range from 283 to 307, with a mean of 297, indicating significant crustal contamination of the parent melt prior to sulfide saturation. The Tudun deposit shares the same age and Re–Os isotopic compositions with other orthomagmatic Cu–Ni sulfide deposits in Huangshan–Jing’erquan Belt, suggesting that they have formed in Early Permian.