Tectonosphere of the Earth: upper mantle and crust interaction

The endogenic geological processes, which include tectonic, magmatic and metamorphic processes, form regular combinations called endogenic regimes. These regimes are: géosynclinal, orogenic, platform, rift, tectonic-magmatic activation (diwa), taphrogenic, plateau-basalt, oceanic basins and mid-oceanic ridges. The endogenic regimes are connected with the peculiarities of the structure, composition and state of the entire tectonosphere, i.e. not only of the crust but of the upper mantle as well.

Heat flow is a major factor controlling the type of the regime. The other conditions are the temperature distribution in the tectonosphere and the degree and type of penetrability of the tectonosphere to melts and fluids. There is a certain regular succession of regimes. The structural evolution of the tectonosphere and the transformation of the matter in it are in close relationship.

The main trend in the development of the tectonospheric material is directed towards geochemical depletion of the upper mantle by fractioning. At the initial stages, fractioning occurred mostly by degassing, and under these conditions the continental crust was formed, rich in non-compatible elements. At that stage the calc-alkaline magmas prevailed. As the upper mantle was depleted and began to lose its volatiles, the mechanism of fractioning changed: degassing was substituted for selective melting, and in this environment most of the tholeiitic magmas were formed. This change in magma composition and in fractioning mechanism was combined with the destruction of the continental crust and the formation of the oceanic crust. The diwa regime and the rifts were the first steps in the destruction of continental crust. The stages that followed were represented by taphrogenic regimes at various levels. These kinds of regimes were manifested in deep continental and marine depressions, compensated and not compensated by sediments.

Taphrogenic regimes are advancing from the east and west onto the Eurasian continent: in the east they form marginal seas and cause subsidence of the eastern parts of the Chinese platform; in the west they produce collapses of the crust in the Mediterranean area.

The major crisis occurred between the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic and since that time the process of substitution of the continental crust by the oceanic crust has proceeded over increasingly large territories.

The evolution of the tectonosphere, instigated by the changes in its matter, was further complicated by temporal and spatial irregularities in deep heat escape, which caused the alternation of excited and quiescent endogenic regimes (tectonomagmatic periodicity) and their co-existence. The combination of all these phenomena creates the structural inhomogeneity of the Earth's crust at any stage of its history.     

Compositional heterogeneity of the continental lithospheric mantle beneath the Early Precambrian and Phanerozoic structures: Evidence from mantle xenoliths in kimberlites and alkaline basalts

Data on the petro- and geochemical characteristics of mantle xenoliths in kimberlites, which sampled the mantle beneath Early Precambrian tectonic structures (Archean cratons: the basement of the Eastern Siberian Platform, Karelian, Kaapvaal, Wyoming, Western Dharvar; Early and Middle Proterozoic foldbelts: Western Olenek, Natal, and Halls Creek), and xenoliths in alkaline basalts, which sampled the mantle benath Late Proterozoic-Phanerozoic structures (foldbelts: Central Asian, Mozambique, southern tip of South America, and Central German) indicate the following: (1) The major and trace element and REE composition of the mantle is different beneath Early Precambrian structures and Late Proterozoic-Phanerozoic foldbelts and reflects the degree of partial melting of the primitive mantle and its depletion in magmaphile components beneath ancient structures compared to young ones. (2) The original composition of the mantle was different beneath the Early Precambrian and Late Proterozoic structures in terms of both major oxides and incompatible trace elements and REE and their ratios; the composition of the mantle beneath the Eastern Siberian Platform, Wyoming, and Karelian cratons is different in terms of Zr/Y, La/Sm, Ce/Sm, Gd/Yb, and Lu/Hf. (3) The degree of melting of the primitive mantle decreases with depth, as follows from the negative correlation between the MgO/SiO₂ ratio and pressure (i.e., depth) and the positive correlation between the Al₂O₃/MgO ratio and pressure in the xenoliths. (4) The Y, Zr, Ti, Sm, Gd, and Yb conncentrations and the sum of HREE in the mantle decrease with increasing degree of melting; correspondingly, the material most strongly depleted in these incompatible trace elements and REE composes the upper levels of the lithospheric continental mantle.     

Dynamic melting of the Precambrian mantle: evidence from rare earth elements of the amphibolites from the Nellore–Khammam Schist Belt, South India

The Nellore–Khammam Schist Belt (NKSB) in South India is a Precambrian greenstone belt sited between the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) to the east and the Cratonic region to the west. The belt contains amphibolites, granite gneisses and metasediments including banded iron formations. Amphibolites occurring as dykes, sills and lenses—in and around an Archaean layered complex—form the focus of the present study. The amphibolites are tholeiitic in composition and are compositionally similar to Fe-rich mafic rocks of greenstone belts elsewhere. The NKSB tholeiites show highly variable incompatible trace element abundances for similar Mg#s, relatively constant compatible element concentrations, and uniform incompatible element ratios. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the tholeiites range from strongly LREE depleted ((La/Yb) _N = 0.19) to LREE enriched ((La/Yb) _N = 6.95). Constant (La/Ce) _N ratios but variable (La/Yb) _N values are characteristic geochemical traits of the tholeiites; the latter has resulted in crossing REE patterns especially at the HREE segment. Even for the most LREE depleted samples, the (La/Ce) _N ratios are > 1 and are similar to those of the LREE enriched samples. There is a systematic decrease in FeO^t, K₂O and P₂O₅, as well as Ce and other incompatible elements from the LREE enriched to the depleted samples without any variation in the incompatible element ratios and Mg#s. Neither batch and fractional melting, nor magma chamber processes can account for the non-correlation between the LREE enrichment and HREE concentrations. We suggest that dynamic melting of the upper mantle is responsible for these geochemical peculiarities of the NKSB tholeiites. Polybaric dynamic melting within a single mantle column with variable mineralogy is the likely mechanism for the derivation of NKSB tholeiitic melts. It is possible that the NKSB tholeiites are derived from a source with higher FeO/MgO than that of present day ridge basalts.     

Contrasting Archean and Proterozoic lithospheric mantle: isotopic evidence from the Shonkin Sag sill (Montana)

²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb versus ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb model ages using Shonkin Sag data and published analyses for magmas of the Cenozoic Wyoming-Montana alkaline province (WYMAP) provide evidence of an Archean age for the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SLM) associated with the Wyoming craton. The SLM imprint on magmas is expressed as Ba, Ta, Nb and Ti "anomalies" which correlate with radiogenic isotopic data, and it resembles a subduction imprint on Cenozoic south-western USA basalts (SWUSAB). However the latter give Proterozoic Pb isotope model ages. Although the Archean and Proterozic model ages may represent mixing lines, the fact that they resemble the ages for continental crust cut by WYMAP and SWUSAB respectively indicates that the age of the underlying SLM helped control the "isochron" slopes and inferred "ages". Lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb but comparable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr for WYMAP suggest that SLM associated with Archean cratons has lower Sm/Nd, U/Pb and Rb/Sr ratios than SLM associated with SWUSAB Proterozic terranes, regardless of when the subduction imprint or imprints developed. WYMAP magmas have high Pb/Zr ratios indicating that Archean SLM, like Archean continental crust, is enriched in Pb compared to Proterozoic SLM. If the enrichment was Archean, it implies that higher Archean heat flow enhanced Pb transfer from the subducting slab to overlying lithospheric mantle and crust. A subducted sediment imprint on the SLM is also consistent with high i¹⁸O values for the Shonkin Sag. Low TiO₂ in WYMAP may reflect a residual mantle TiO₂ phase. If so, the Nb "missing" from crustal and oceanic mantle reservoirs may reside in rutile of Archean SLM. Isotopic similarities between WYMAP and EM1 oceanic island basalts may reflect the presence of delaminated, Archean SLM in the oceanic mantle, although low Pb/Zr ratios and a lack of Ti, Nb and Ta anomalies in oceanic island basalts deserve further investigation.     

Os isotopes in mantle xenoliths from the Eifel volcanic field and the Vogelsberg (Germany): age constraints on the lithospheric mantle

The effects of mantle metasomatism on the sulfide phase in mantle xenoliths in general, and on the Os isotopic system in particular, have received increased attention in recent years. Here, we report on Os isotopic systematics of metasomatized mantle xenoliths from the late Quaternary Eifel (Dreiser Weiher and Meerfelder Maar) and neighboring Vogelsberg volcanic fields, which provide insight into the effects of melt extraction and metasomatism on Os isotopes and place constraints on the evolution of the lithospheric mantle component beneath central Europe. Sixteen harzburgite, lherzolite, and pyroxenite xenoliths from the Eifel and two lherzolite xenoliths from the Vogelsberg were analyzed for Os isotopes. Samples from the anhydrous peridotite suite (Ib) are highly variable in their Os isotopes, ranging from subchondritic values (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os=0.1236) to suprachondritic values (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os=0.1420), indicating that some of these samples have been overprinted by the addition of radiogenic Os and have lost the primary mantle Os that was presumably present. The suprachondritic values suggest a source for this Os in a reservoir with a time-integrated Re/Os ratio greater than that of the bulk Earth. Eifel samples with Os contents >1.5 ng/g from the hydrous suite (Ia) have relatively unradiogenic Os isotope compositions (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os=0.1208-0.1237) and Al₂O₃-Os isotopic systematics consistent with ancient melt depletion and isolation from the convecting asthenospheric mantle for time periods similar to the age of the overlying crust (~1.5 Ga) as well with results from peridotite massifs in the European region. The LREE-metasomatism and the enrichment of Os (up to 6.47 ng/g) and As (sulfide metasomatism?) in the hydrous suite is strongly inversely correlated with the Os isotope ratios, demonstrating that mantle processes such as metasomatism can significantly modify the Os isotope chemistry of mantle xenoliths.     

Eocene tonalite–granodiorite from the Havza (Samsun) area,northern Turkey: adakite-like melts of lithospheric mantle and crust generated in a post-collisional setting

ABSTRACT

Eocene intermediate to felsic plutons of different sizes and compositions are widespread in the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt in northern Turkey. Of these, the Ta?l?k Tepe pluton in the Havza (Samsun) area is fine-to-medium-grained, with granular, porphyritic, and micrographic textures, and include mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs). LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating yielded emplacement ages of 42.9 (± 1.4) and 40.5 (± 1.3) Ma for the host granodioritic pluton and the dioritic MMEs, respectively. Petrochemically, the host pluton has I-type, high-K calc-alkaline, and metaluminous-to-slightly peraluminous features (A/CNK = 0.95–1.06). The host pluton also shows geochemical features of adakite-like rocks with high SiO₂ (67–68 wt%) and Al₂O₃ (15.5–16.0 wt%) content and Ba/La (17–23), Sr/Y (40.7–61.6), and La_N/Yb_N (14.4–23.7) ratios and low Y (8.2–9.9 ppm) and Yb_N (3.1–4.4) contents. Whole-rock major and trace element variations suggest that fractional crystallisation played a significant role in the pluton evolution. The N-MORB normalised trace element patterns of the pluton are similar to those of MMEs with enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, Th and Ce, and negative Nb and Ti anomalies. Chondrite-normalised rare earth element plots show moderate-to-highly enriched concave patterns (La_N/Lu_N = 14.2–21.6) with insignificant negative Eu anomalies (Eu_N/Eu* = 0.86–1.14), all of which imply hornblende fractionation during magmatic evolution. The pluton samples have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.704767 to 0.704927, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of 0.512767–0.512774, εNd values of (+2.52) – (+2.65), and δ¹⁸O values of 7.9–9.7‰. The isotopic compositions of the host pluton and MMEs are similar to I-type granitoids derived from mantle sources. The MMEs show incomplete magma mixing/mingling, representing small bodies of mafic parental magma. Combined with regional studies, these new data suggest that the parental magma of the studied adakite-like pluton was generated from the lithospheric mantle and then modified by fractional crystallisation and assimilation in a post-collisional setting.     

Diamonds from Jagersfontein (South Africa): messengers from the sublithospheric mantle

The diamond population from the Jagersfontein kimberlite is characterized by a high abundance of eclogitic, besides peridotitic and a small group of websteritic diamonds. The majority of inclusions indicate that the diamonds are formed in the subcratonic lithospheric mantle. Inclusions of the eclogitic paragenesis, which generally have a wide compositional range, include two groups of eclogitic garnets (high and low Ca) which are also distinct in their rare earth element composition. Within the eclogitic and websteritic suite, diamonds with inclusions of majoritic garnets were found, which provide evidence for their formation within the asthenosphere and transition zone. Unlike the lithospheric garnets all majoritic garnet inclusions show negative Eu-anomalies. A narrow range of isotopically light carbon compositions (δ¹³C −17 to −24 ‰) of the host diamonds suggests that diamond formation in the sublithospheric mantle is principally different to that in the lithosphere. Direct conversion from graphite in a subducting slab appears to be the main mechanism responsible for diamond formation in this part of the Earth’s mantle beneath the Kaapvaal Craton. The peridotitic inclusion suite at Jagersfontein is similar to other diamond deposits on the Kaapvaal Craton and characterized by harzburgitic to low-Ca harzburgitic compositions.     

Geochemical variation in peridotite xenoliths and their constituent clinopyroxenes from Ray Pic (French Massif Central): implications for the composition of the shallow lithospheric mantle

Anhydrous mantle peridotite xenoliths from a single volcanic vent in the French Massif Central are compositionally varied, ranging from relatively fertile lherzolites to refractory harzburgites. Fertile lherzolites closely resemble previous estimates of undepleted mantle compositions but the average of the Ray Pic xenoliths is much less enriched in LILE and LREE than McDonough's (1990) average mantle [McDonough, W.F., 1990. Constraints on the composition of the continental lithospheric mantle. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 101, 1–18]. The wide geochemical variation in the bulk rocks reflects significant heterogeneities that can be attributed to two major processes within the shallow lithospheric mantle. The first process is depletion, related to variable degrees of partial melting and melt extraction from an originally near-chondritic mantle. This process has largely controlled the major elements and much of the trace element variation between fertile lherzolites and refractory peridotites. LREE-depleted compositions are also produced by this process. During partial melting, HREE behaved coherently with the major oxides and the moderately incompatible trace elements (Y, V and Sc). A subsequent process of enrichment is indicated by high concentrations of incompatible trace elements in many of the xenoliths. Sr, Ba, K, Th, U, Nb and LREE abundance are independent of major oxide variations and reflect enrichment related to infiltration by alkaline silicate melts/fluids. Both fertile and refractory mantle were enriched but harzburgites were particularly affected. Modal metasomatism occurred only rarely and is indicated by Cr-diopside-rich veins and patches in a few samples. Their chemistry suggests that they were also formed by migration of similar magmas/fluids from the asthenospheric mantle, although the presence of wehrlitic patches may indicate interaction with carbonate melts. In both depleted and enriched xenoliths, trace element patterns for separated clinopyroxenes closely reflect those of the bulk rock, except for Rb, Ba and Nb, which are probably hosted by other phases.     

岩石圈地幔含水不均一：来自华南地区白琳和建德的对比

利用电子探针、激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱和傅里叶变换红外光谱分别测定了华南地区福建省白琳大嶂山新生代玄武岩中橄榄岩包体矿物的主要元素、微量元素和H2O含量。橄榄岩矿物主要元素之间的相关性符合部分熔融趋势，部分熔融程度在0～21%之间。大多数样品（23个样品中的21个）部分熔融程度较低（<6%）并具有亏损的球粒陨石标准化稀土元素模式。单斜辉石、斜方辉石和橄榄石的H2O含量分别为78×10 -6～262×10 -6、37×10 -6～124×10 -6和~0。尽管不能排除橄榄石包体上升过程中的潜在H的扩散丢失，但两种辉石保留了地幔中的H2O含量，这可以从 ① 单个辉石颗粒中的均一的H2O含量和 ② 单斜辉石和斜方辉石之间的平衡H2O分配推断出来。基于矿物模式，并假设单斜辉石和橄榄石之间的H2O分配系数为10，计算出的全岩H2O含量范围为15×10 -6～67×10 -6。水含量与熔融指数、交代指数、氧化还原状态和温度之间缺乏良好的相关性，说明白琳地区岩石圈地幔中水含量的控制因素是复杂的。已有研究表明浙江省建德地区岩石圈地幔具有较高水含量。白琳和建德两地对比显示，两地岩石圈地幔在熔融程度、交代程度、氧化还原状态和平衡温度非常类似，但是水含量差异巨大。华夏地块（以建德和白琳为代表）的岩石圈地幔在主成分和微量成分上可能均一，但H2O含量有巨大差异，体现了地幔的不均一性。     

Continental crust and lithospheric mantle interaction beneath North China: isotopic evidence from granulite xenoliths in Hannuoba, Sino-Korean craton

Mafic granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from Cenozoic alkaline basalts at Hannuoba, Hebei Province, North China have been selected for a systematic geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic study, which provides a unique opportunity to explore nature of the lower crust and the interaction between the continental crust and lithospheric mantle beneath an Archean craton. The major, compatible and incompatible elements and radiogenic isotopes of these xenoliths suggest great chemical heterogeneity of the lower crust beneath the Hannuoba region. Petrological and geochemical evidences indicate a clear cumulate origin, and most likely, they are related to basaltic underplating in different geological episodes. However, the Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the xenoliths reveal a profound enriched source signature (EM I) with some influence of EM II, which implies that some portion of pre-existing, old metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle could have played an important role in their genesis. It is suggested that the interaction between continental crust and subcontinental mantle as manifested by basaltic underplating would be closely related to regional tectonic episodes and geodynamic processes in the deep part of subcontinental lithospheric mantle.     

The transformation of the lithospheric mantle beneath South China Block (SCB): constraints from petrological and geochemical studies of Daoxian and Ningyuan basalts and their melt inclusions

ABSTRACT

The lithospheric mantle beneath the South China Block (SCB) underwent a dramatic transformation from depleted to enriched during late Mesozoic. With a view to deeply understand this process, here we investigate the Mesozoic basalts and their melt inclusions from the Daoxian and Ningyuan regions within the central SCB. The geochemical features of the melt inclusions in these basalts suggest that these rocks originated from the lithospheric mantle enriched through interaction with K-rich aqueous fluids released from subducted Palaeo-Pacific oceanic sediments, whereas the Ningyuan basalts were mainly derived from the asthenospheric mantle source. Geochemical modelling indicates that the Daoxian basalts were generated from 15%-25% of partial melting of garnet lherzolite, whereas the Ningyuan basalts originated from 10%-20% of partial melting of garnet pyroxenites. Our data, combined with those from other Jurassic basalts suggest a temporal evolution of the SCB mantle sources during the Late Mesozoic. Diverse crust–mantle interactions through mixing of the asthenospheric melts with variable proportions of subducted Palaeo-Pacific oceanic sediments might account for the spatial heterogeneity of mantle sources observed beneath the SCB. The transition from Tethyan tectonic realm to the Palaeo-Pacific tectonic regime might have played a significant role in the transformation of the lithospheric mantle beneath the SCB.     

The late Cretaceous lithospheric mantle beneath the Central Andes: Evidence from phase equilibria and composition of mantle xenoliths

Temperature estimates and chemical composition of mantle xenoliths from the Cretaceous rift system of NW Argentina (26°S) constrain the rift evolution and chemical and physical properties of the lithospheric mantle at the eastern edge of the Cenozoic Andean plateau. The xenolith suite comprises mainly spinel lherzolite and subordinate pyroxenite and carbonatized lherzolite. The spinel lherzolite xenoliths equilibrated at high-T (most samples >1000 °C) and P below garnet-in. The Sm–Nd systematics of compositionally unzoned clino- and orthopyroxene indicate a Cretaceous minimum age for the high-T regime, i.e., the asthenosphere/lithosphere thermal boundary was at ca. 70 km depth in the Cretaceous rift. Major elements and Cr, Ni, Co and V contents of the xenoliths range between values of primitive and depleted mantle. Calculated densities based on the bulk composition of the xenoliths are <3280 kg/m³ for the estimated P–T conditions and indicate a buoyant, stable upper mantle lithosphere. The well-equilibrated metamorphic fabric and mineral paragenesis with the general lack of high-T hydrous phases did not preserve traces of metasomatism in the mantle xenoliths. Late Mesozoic metasomatism, however, is obvious in the gradual enrichment of Sr, U, Th and light to medium REE and changes in the radiogenic isotope composition of an originally depleted mantle. These changes are independent of the degree of depletion evidenced by major element composition. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_i ratios of clinopyroxene from the main group of xenoliths decrease with increasing Nd content from >0.5130 (depleted samples) to ca. 0.5127 (enriched samples). ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i ratios (0.7127–0.7131, depleted samples; 0.7130–0.7134, enriched samples) show no variation with variable Sr contents. Pb_i isotope ratios of the enriched samples are rather radiogenic (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 18.8–20.6, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 15.6–15.7, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 38.6–47) compared with the Pb isotope signature of the depleted samples. The large scatter and high values of ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i ratios of many xenoliths indicates at least two Pb sources that are characterized by similar U/Pb but by different Th/Pb ratios. The dominant mantle type in the investigated system is depleted mantle according to its Sr and Nd isotopic composition with relatively radiogenic Pb isotope ratios. This mantle is different from the Pacific MORB source and old subcontinental mantle from the adjacent Brazilian Shield. Its composition probably reflects material influx into the mantle wedge during various episodes of subduction that commenced in early Paleozoic or even earlier. Old subcontinental mantle was already replaced in the Paleozoic, but some inheritance from old mantle lithosphere is represented by rare xenoliths with isotope signatures indicating a Proterozoic origin.     

Deep structure of the Earth's crust in the contact zone of the Palaeozoic and Precambrian Platforms in Poland (Tornquist-Teisseyre zone)

One of the major tectonic problems in Europe concerns the southwest margin of the East European Platform in the region of the so-called Polish-Danish trough. In general, this margin is assumed to be the Tornquist-Teisseyre (T-T) Line, running approximately from northwest to southeast in this part of Europe. Determination of deep crustal structure of the contact zone between the Precambrian Platform and the Palaeozoic Platform was the main aim of the deep seismic sounding (DSS) programme in Poland in 1965–1982.Deep seismic soundings of the Earth's crust have been made in the T-T Line zone along nine profiles with a total length of about 2600 km. The results of deep seismic soundings have shown that the crust in the marginal zone of the East European Platform has highly anomalous properties. The width of this zone ranges from 50 km in northwest Poland to about 90 km in southeast Poland. The crustal thickness of the Palaeozoic Platform in Poland is 30–35 km, and of the Precambrian Platform 42–47 km, while in the T-T tectonic zone it varies from 50 to 55 km. Above the Moho boundary, in the T-T zone, at a depth of 40–45 km, there is a seismic discontinuity with P-wave velocities of 7.5–7.7 km/s. Boundary velocities, mean velocities and stratification of the Earth's crust vary distinctly along the T-T zone. There are also observed high gravimetric and magnetic anomalies in the T-T zone. The T-T tectonic zone determined in this manner is a deep tectonic trough with rift properties.The deep fractures delineating the T-T tectonic zone are of fundamental importance for the localization of the plate edge of the Precambrian Platform of eastern Europe. In the light of DSS results, the northeastern margin of the T-T tectonic zone is a former plate boundary of the East European Platform.     

Sulfur and selenium systematics of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle: Inferences from the Massif Central xenolith suite (France)

Selenium has been analyzed in addition to S in 58 spinel peridotite xenoliths collected in Cenozoic alkali basalts from the Massif Central (France). The S concentration range now available for this suite, calculated from 123 samples, is the largest ever reported for alkali basalt-hosted xenoliths (<3-592 ppm). Likewise, the Se concentrations range between 0.2 and 67 ppb. No partial melting signature can be identified from the S and Se systematic. Half of the analyzed xenoliths have lost S during supergene weathering. By contrast, neither surficial alteration, nor loss of chalcophile elements during eruption can explain the regional-scale variations of S and Se concentrations. A first group of lherzolite xenoliths sampled in Southern Massif Central, from volcanic centers older and spatially unrelated to the Massif Central plume that triggered the Cenozoic volcanism, contains between 20 and 250 ppm S (with occasional S concentrations up to 592 ppm) and 12-67 ppb Se. It is clear that the highest S values, originally interpreted as representing S abundances in the primitive mantle, were in fact enriched by metasomatism. Highly variable S and Se contents (<5-360 ppm; 9-52 ppb) have also been observed in peridotite xenoliths collected in the Northern Massif Central, from volcanic centers mostly older than the plume. Like Group I xenoliths, these Group II xenoliths were strongly metasomatized by volatile-rich carbonated/silicated melts which precipitated Cu-rich sulfides. A third group of xenoliths from Plio-Quaternary basalts spatially related to the Massif Central Plume are uniformly poor in S (10-60 ppm) and Se (9-29 ppb). In this Group III, poikiloblastic textured xenoliths have lost most of their S and Se budget by peridotite-melt interactions at high melt/rock ratios. Taken as a whole, the Massif Central xenolith suite provides further evidence for strong heterogeneities in the S and Se budget of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. However, the few LREE-depleted fertile lherzolites that escaped strong metasomatic alterations suggest a S- and Se-depleted primitive mantle reservoir compared to currently accepted primitive mantle estimates.     

华北中、新生代岩石圈地幔的交代作用：含金云母地幔岩提供的证据

本文对华北克拉通三个不同地区（河北汉诺坝、内蒙古集宁三义堂、河南鹤壁）新发现的含金云母尖晶石二辉橄榄岩和尖晶石橄榄单斜辉石岩捕虏体进行了详细的矿物组成、单斜辉石的微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素研究.通过与相同地区不含金云母尖晶石二辉橄榄岩捕虏体的系统对比发现通常含金云母的地幔橄榄岩比不含金云母的地幔橄榄岩岩富Al2O3、CaO、NaO、K2O、TiO2,但相对贫镁;其单斜辉石的LREE更为富集,但Sr、Nd同位素组成则相对亏损.这说明地幔交代作用不仅能够造成地幔橄榄岩的玄武质组分和稀土元素的富集,而且亦能够造成全岩和橄榄石Mg#的降低和同位素组成的相对亏损.捕虏体的Rb-Sr等时线年龄暗示地幔交代作用发生在中、新生代;其交代熔体来源于软流圈.同时说明华北新生代岩石圈地幔普遍存在的主、微量元素和同位素组成类似于“大洋型”岩石圈地幔的特征很可能是岩石圈地幔橄榄岩与软流圈来源的熔体的大规模反应的结果,而非真正意义上的新增生的岩石圈地幔.     

大陆下地壳和岩石圈地幔含水性的差异——山东莒南玄武岩中深源包体的初步观察

对产于莒南晚中生代玄武岩中的镁铁质麻粒岩和橄榄岩包体矿物进行了傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)分析.结果显示,麻粒岩矿物和全岩中水含量分别为:单斜辉石300×10-6～1 180×10-6,斜方辉石80×10-6～169×10-6,斜长石717×10-6～1 239×10-6,全岩525×10-6～855×10-6;橄榄岩矿物和全岩中水含量分别为:单斜辉石466×10- 6～746×10-6,斜方辉石187×10-6～304×10-6,橄榄石6×10-6～15×10-6,全岩81×10-6～245×10-6.从单矿物看,麻粒岩和橄榄岩之间水含量的差距不是很明显,但麻粒岩的全岩水含量明显高于橄榄岩,表明大陆深部岩石圈的水含量在垂向上具有不均一性.     

Mesozoic lithospheric mantle of the northeastern Siberian craton (evidence from inclusions in kimberlite)

Several thousand clinopyroxene, garnet, and phlogopite inclusions of mantle rocks from Jurassic and Triassic kimberlites in the northeastern Siberian craton have been analyzed and compared with their counterparts from Paleozoic kimberlites, including those rich in diamond. The new and published mineral chemistry data make a basis for an updated classification of kimberlite-hosted clinopyroxenes according to peridotitic and mafic (eclogite and pyroxenite) parageneses. The obtained results place constraints on the stability field of high-Na lherzolitic clinopyroxenes, which affect the coexisting garnet and decrease its Ca contents. As follows from analyses of the mantle minerals from Mesozoic kimberlites, the cratonic lithosphere contained more pyroxenite and eclogite in the Mesozoic than in the Paleozoic. It virtually lacked ultradepleted harzburgite-dunite lithologies and contained scarce eclogitic diamonds. On the other hand, both inclusions in diamond and individual eclogitic minerals from Mesozoic kimberlites differ from eclogitic inclusions in diamond from Triassic sediments in the northeastern Siberian craton. Xenocrystic phlogopites from the D’yanga pipe have ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of 384.6, 432.4, and 563.4 Ma, which record several stages of metasomatic impact on the lithosphere. These phlogopites are younger than most of Paleozoic phlogopites from the central part of the craton (Udachnaya kimberlite). Therefore, hydrous mantle metasomatism acted much later on the craton periphery than in the center. Monomineral clinopyroxene thermobarometry shows that Jurassic kimberlites from the northeastern craton part trapped lithospheric material from different maximum depths (170 km in the D’yanga pipe and mostly < 130 km in other pipes). The inferred thermal thickness of cratonic lithosphere decreased progressively from ~ 260 km in the Devonian-Carboniferous to ~ 225 km in the Triassic and to ~ 200 km in the Jurassic, while the heat flux (Hasterok-Chapman model) was 34.9, 36.7, and 39.0 mW/m², respectively. Dissimilar PT patterns of samples from closely spaced coeval kimberlites suggest different emplacement scenarios, which influenced both the PT variations across the lithosphere and the diamond potential of kimberlites.     

Imaging global chemical and thermal heterogeneity in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle with garnets and xenoliths: Geophysical implications

Suites of mantle-derived xenoliths in volcanic rocks provide estimates of the geothermal gradient and composition of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) at the time of the volcanic eruption. The development of single-grain thermometry and barometry, applied to xenocryst minerals in volcanic rocks, has greatly expanded the number of localities for which such data can be obtained and made it feasible to map the geology of the SCLM on a broader scale, both vertically and laterally. From garnet xenocrysts, it is possible to derive profiles showing mean values of olivine composition, bulk-rock composition, density and seismic velocities, as well as geotherm parameters and constraints on the thickness of the SCLM. Geochemical profiles, coupled with Re–Os dating of peridotites and their enclosed sulfide minerals, show that Archean or Proterozoic SCLM is preserved at shallow levels beneath many areas of younger tectonothermal age; this implies rapid vertical variations in Vs and Vp with depth, which may affect seismic interpretations. Data from several hundred localities worldwide define a secular evolution in the composition of the SCLM, related to the tectonothermal age of the overlying crust. Archean SCLM is typically strongly depleted in basaltic components, highly magnesian and thick (160–250 km), and has low geotherms; Phanerozoic SCLM is typically fertile (rich in basaltic components), Fe-rich, thin (50–100 km) and has a range of high geotherms; Proterozoic SCLM (much of which may be reworked Archean mantle) tends to be intermediate in all respects. The correlated variations in SCLM fertility, lithospheric thickness and geotherm reinforce the effects of each on seismic velocity, and produce more rapid lateral variations in seismic response than would result from thermal effects alone. These correlations are the key to using seismic tomography images to map the lateral extent of different types of SCLM.     

The lithospheric mantle beneath the Kerguelen Islands (Indian Ocean): petrological and petrophysical characteristics of mantle mafic rock types and correlation with seismic profiles

Deep-seated meta-igneous xenoliths brought to the surface by alkali basaltic magmas from the Kerguelen Islands reveal that basaltic magmas have intruded the upper mantle throughout their geological evolution. These xenoliths record volcanic activity associated with their early South East Indian Ridge location and subsequent translation to an intraplate setting over the Kerguelen Plume. The meta-igneous xenoliths sample two distinctive geochemical episodes: one is tholeiitic transitional and one is alkali basaltic. Geothermobarometry calculations provide a spatial context for the rock type sequence sampled and for interpreting petrophysical data. The garnet granulites equilibrated over a pressure range of 1.15 to 1.35 GPa and the garnet pyroxenite at 1.8 GPa. Ultrasonic measurements of compressional wave speed V_P have been carried out at pressures up to 1 GPa, and densities measured for representative samples of meta-igneous xenoliths and for a harzburgite that represents the peridotitic mantle. V_P and density have also been calculated using modal proportions of minerals and appropriate elastic properties for the constituent minerals. Calculated and measured V_P agree well for rock types with microstructures not complicated by kelyphitic breakdown of garnet and/or pervasive grain-boundary cracking. Pyroxene granulites have measured and calculated V_P within the range 7.37-7.52 km/s; calculated velocities for the garnet granulites and pyroxenites range from 7.69 to 7.99 km/s, whereas measured and calculated V_P for a mantle harzburgite are 8.45 and 8.29 km/s respectively. The seismic structure observed beneath the Kerguelen Islands can be explained by (1) a mixture of underplated pyroxene granulites and ultramafic rocks responsible for the 2-3 km low velocity transitional zone below the oceanic layer 3, (2) varying proportions of granulites and pyroxenites in different regions within the upper mantle producing the lateral heterogeneities, and (3) intercalation of the granulites and pyroxenites throughout the entire upper mantle column, along with elevated temperatures, accounting for the relatively low mantle velocities (7.70-7.95 km/s).     

Spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the Premier kimberlite (Kaapvaal craton, South Africa): Nature and evolution of the shallow upper mantle beneath the Bushveld complex

Coarse-grained, granular spinel lherzolites xenoliths from the Premier kimberlite show evidence of melt extraction and metasomatic enrichment, documenting a complex history for the shallow mantle beneath the Bushveld complex. Compositions of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel indicate equilibration within the spinel–peridotite facies of the upper mantle, at depths from 80 to 100 km and temperatures from 720 to 850 °C. Bulk compositions have lower Mg-number [atomic 100 Mg/(Mg + Fe*)] than previously studied spinel peridotites from Premier, and have higher Mg/Si than low-temperature coarse grained garnet lherzolites, suggesting shallower melting conditions or metasomatic enrichment. Clinopyroxene in one sample is highly LREE-depleted indicating very minor modification of a residue of 20% melt extraction, whereas the calculated REE pattern for a melt in equilibrium with a mildly LREE-depleted sample is similar to MORB or late Archean basalt, possibly related to the Bushveld Complex. Bulk and mineral compositions suggest minimal refertilization by silicate melts in four out of six samples, but REE patterns indicate introduction of a LIL-enriched component that may be related to kimberlite.