Sr-Nd-Pb Isotopic Compositions of Peridotite Xenoliths from Spitsbergen: Numerical Modelling Indicates Sr-Nd Decoupling in the Mantle by Melt Percolation Metasomatism

Several spinel peridotite xenoliths from Spitsbergen have Sr–Ndisotopic compositions that plot to the right of the ‘mantlearray’ defined by oceanic basalts and the DM end-member(depleted mantle, with low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd).These xenoliths also show strong fractionation of elements withsimilar compatibility (e.g. high La/Ce), which cannot be producedby simple mixing of light rare earth element-depleted peridotiteswith ocean island basalt-type or other enriched mantle melts.Numerical simulations of porous melt flow in spinel peridotitesapplied to Sr–Nd isotope compositions indicate that thesefeatures of the Spitsbergen peridotites can be explained bychemical fractionation during metasomatism in the mantle. ‘Chromatographic’effects of melt percolation create a transient zone where thehost depleted peridotites have experienced enrichment in Sr(with a radiogenic isotope composition) but not in Nd, thusproducing Sr–Nd decoupling mainly controlled by partitioncoefficients and abundances of Sr and Nd in the melt and theperidotite. Therefore, Sr–Nd isotope decoupling, earlierreported for some other mantle peridotites worldwide, may bea signature of metasomatic processes rather than a source-relatedcharacteristic, contrary to models that invoke mixing with hypotheticalSr-rich fluids derived from subducted oceanic lithosphere. Pbisotope compositions of the Spitsbergen xenoliths do not appearto be consistently affected by the metasomatism. KEY WORDS: Spitsbergen; lithospheric mantle; metasomatism; radiogenic isotopes; theoretical modelling     

Petrogenesis of Tertiary Mafic Alkaline Magmas in the Hocheifel, Germany

Primitive nephelinites and basanites from the Tertiary Hocheifelarea of Germany (part of the Central European Volcanic Province;CEVP) have high Mg-number (>0·64), high Cr and Nicontents and strong light rare earth element enrichment butsystematic depletion in Rb, K and Ba relative to trace elementsof similar compatibility in anhydrous mantle. Alkali basaltsand more differentiated magmatic rocks have lower Mg-numberand lower abundances of Ni and Cr, and have undergone fractionationof mainly olivine, clinopyroxene, Fe–Ti oxide, amphiboleand plagioclase. Some nephelinites and basanites approach theSr–Nd–Pb isotope compositions inferred for the EAR(European Asthenospheric Reservoir) component. The Nd–Sr–Pbisotope composition of the differentiated rocks indicates thatassimilation of lower crustal material has modified the compositionof the primary mantle-derived magmas. Rare earth element meltingmodels can explain the petrogenesis of the most primitive maficmagmatic rocks in terms of mixing of melt fractions from anamphibole-bearing garnet peridotite source with melt fractionsfrom an amphibole-bearing spinel peridotite source, both sourcescontaining residual amphibole. It is inferred that amphibolewas precipitated in the asthenospheric mantle beneath the Hocheifel,close to the garnet peridotite–spinel peridotite boundary,by metasomatic fluids or melts from a rising mantle diapir orplume. Melt generation with amphibole present suggests relativelylow mantle potential temperatures (<1200°C); thus themantle plume is not thermally anomalous. A comparison of recentlypublished Ar/Ar ages for Hocheifel basanites with the geochemicaland isotopic composition of samples from this study collectedat the same sample sites indicates that eruption of earlierlavas with an EM signature was followed by the eruption of laterlavas derived from a source with EAR or HIMU characteristics,suggesting a contribution from the advancing plume. Thus, theHocheifel area represents an analogue for magmatism during continentalrift initiation, during which interaction of a mantle plumewith the overlying lithosphere may have led to the generationof partial melts from both the lower lithosphere and the asthenosphere. KEY WORDS: alkali basalts; continental volcanism; crustal contamination; partial melting; Eifel, Germany     

Mantle Xenoliths from Tenerife (Canary Islands): Evidence for Reactions between Mantle Peridotites and Silicic Carbonatite Melts inducing Ca Metasomatism

Mantle xenoliths from Tenerife show evidence of metasomatismand recrystallization overprinting the effects of extensivepartial melting. The evidence includes: recrystallization ofexsolved orthopyroxene porphyroclasts highly depleted in incompatibletrace elements into incompatible-trace-element-enriched, poikiliticorthopyroxene with no visible exsolution lamellae; formationof olivine and REE–Cr-rich, strongly Zr–Hf–Ti-depletedclinopyroxene at the expense of orthopyroxene; the presenceof phlogopite; whole-rock CaO/Al₂O₃ >> 1 (Ca metasomatism) inrecrystallized rocks; and enrichment in incompatible elementsin recrystallized rocks, relative to rocks showing little evidenceof recrystallization. The ‘higher-than-normal’ degreeof partial melting that preceded the metasomatism probably resultsfrom plume activity during the opening of the Central AtlanticOcean. Sr–Nd isotopic compositions are closely similarto those of Tenerife basalts, indicating resetting from theexpected original mid-ocean ridge basalt composition by themetasomatizing fluids. Metasomatism was caused by silicic carbonatitemelts, and involved open-system processes, such as trappingof elements compatible with newly formed acceptor minerals,leaving residual fluids moving to shallower levels. The compositionsof the metasomatizing fluids changed with time, probably asa result of changing compositions of the melts produced in theCanary Islands plume. Spinel dunites and wehrlites representrocks where all, or most, orthopyroxene has been consumed throughthe metasomatic reactions. KEY WORDS: Canary Islands; Tenerife; mantle xenoliths; geochemistry; Ca metasomatism; open-system processes; lithosphere; ocean islands     

The Evolution of the Upper Mantle beneath the Canary Islands: Information from Trace Elements and Sr isotope Ratios in Minerals in Mantle Xenoliths

Laser ablation microprobe data are presented for olivine, orthopyroxeneand clinopyroxene in spinel harzburgite and lherzolite xenolithsfrom La Palma, Hierro, and Lanzarote, and new whole-rock trace-elementdata for xenoliths from Hierro and Lanzarote. The xenolithsshow evidence of strong major, trace element and Sr isotopedepletion (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr 0·7027 in clinopyroxene in themost refractory harzburgites) overprinted by metasomatism. Thelow Sr isotope ratios are not compatible with the former suggestionof a mantle plume in the area during opening of the AtlanticOcean. Estimates suggest that the composition of the originaloceanic lithospheric mantle beneath the Canary Islands correspondsto the residues after 25–30% fractional melting of primordialmantle material; it is thus significantly more refractory than‘normal’ mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) mantle. Thetrace element compositions and Sr isotopic ratios of the mineralsleast affected by metasomatization indicate that the upper mantlebeneath the Canary Islands originally formed as highly refractoryoceanic lithosphere during the opening of the Atlantic Oceanin the area. During the Canarian intraplate event the uppermantle was metasomatized; the metasomatic processes includecryptic metasomatism, resetting of the Sr–Nd isotopicratios to values within the range of Canary Islands basalts,formation of minor amounts of phlogopite, and melt–wall-rockreactions. The upper mantle beneath Tenerife and La Palma isstrongly metasomatized by carbonatitic or carbonaceous meltshighly enriched in light rare earth elements (REE) relativeto heavy REE, and depleted in Zr–Hf and Ti relative toREE. In the lithospheric mantle beneath Hierro and Lanzarote,metasomatism has been relatively weak, and appears to be causedby high-Si melts producing concave-upwards trace element patternsin clinopyroxene with weak negative Zr and Ti anomalies. Ti–Al–Fe-richharzburgites/lherzolites, dunites, wehrlites and clinopyroxenitesformed from mildly alkaline basaltic melts (similar to thosethat dominate the exposed parts of the islands), and appearto be mainly restricted to magma conduits; the alkali basaltmelts have caused only local metasomatism in the mantle wall-rocksof such conduits. The various metasomatic fluids formed as theresults of immiscible separations, melt–wall-rock reactionsand chromatographic fractionation either from a CO₂-rich basalticprimary melt, or, alternatively, from a basaltic and a siliceouscarbonatite or carbonaceous silicate melt. KEY WORDS: mantle xenoliths; mantle minerals; trace elements; depletion; carbonatite metasomatism     

Petrology and Geochemistry of Eclogite Xenoliths from the Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Evolution of Subducted Oceanic Crust

Eclogite xenoliths from the Colorado Plateau, interpreted asfragments of the subducted Farallon plate, are used to constrainthe trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositionsof oceanic crust subducted into the upper mantle. The xenolithsconsist of almandine-rich garnet, Na-clinopyroxene, lawsoniteand zoisite with minor amounts of phengite, rutile, pyrite andzircon. They have essentially basaltic bulk-rock major elementcompositions; their Na₂O contents are significantly elevated,but K₂O contents are similar to those of unaltered mid-oceanridge basalt (MORB). These alkali element characteristics areexplained by spilitization or albitization processes on thesea floor and during subduction-zone metasomatism in the fore-arcregion. The whole-rock trace element abundances of the xenolithsare variable relative to sea-floor-altered MORB, except forthe restricted Zr/Hf ratios (36·9–37·6).Whole-rock mass balances for two Colorado Plateau eclogite xenolithsare examined for 22 trace elements, Rb, Cs, Sr, Ba, Y, rareearth elements, Pb, Th and U. Mass balance considerations andmineralogical observations indicate that the whole-rock chemistriesof the xenoliths were modified by near-surface processes afteremplacement and limited interaction with their host rock, aserpentinized ultramafic microbreccia. To avoid these secondaryeffects, the Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of mineralsseparated from the xenoliths were measured, yielding 0·70453–0·70590for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, –3·1 to 0·5 for Nd and 18·928–19·063for ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb. These isotopic compositions are distinctlymore radiogenic for Sr and Pb and less radiogenic for Nd thanthose of altered MORB. Our results suggest that the MORB-likeprotolith of the xenoliths was metasomatized by a fluid equilibratedwith sediment in the fore-arc region of a subduction zone andthat this metasomatic fluid produced continental crust-likeisotopic compositions of the xenoliths. KEY WORDS: Colorado Plateau; eclogite xenolith; geochemistry; subducted oceanic crust     

Garnetite Xenoliths and Mantle-Water Interactions Below the Colorado Plateau, Southwestern United States

Garnetite xenoliths from ultramafic diatremes in northeasternArizona provide insights into hydration and metasomatism inthe mantle. The garnetites contain more than 95% garnet, someof which has complex compositional zonation related to growthin fractures within grains. Accessory minerals include rutile,ilmenite, chlorite, clinopyroxene, and zircon. Zircon grainsin one rock were analyzed in situ to determine U–Pb agesand Hf isotopic compositions. Most U–Pb analyses ploton or near concordia in the range 60–85 Ma but a few arediscordant. The range in ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf is about 0·2818–0·2828,with grains zoned to more radiogenic Hf from interiors to rims.The garnetite protolith contained zircons at least 1·8Ga in age, and garnet and additional zircon crystallized episodicallyduring the interval 85–60 Ma. The garnetites are interpretedas mantle analogues of rodingites, formed in metasomatic reactionzones caused by water–rock interactions in Proterozoicmantle during late Cretaceous and Cenozoic subduction of theFarallon plate. Associated eclogite xenoliths may have beenparts of these same reaction zones. The rodingite hypothesisrequires serpentinization in the mantle wedge 700 km from thetrench, beginning 5–10 Myr before tectonism related tolow-angle subduction. KEY WORDS: garnetite; Lu–Hf, mantle; rodingite; metasomatism     

The Geochemistry of the Arabian Lithospheric Mantle--a Source for Intraplate Volcanism?

We present trace element and Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopecompositions for clinopyroxenes from anhydrous spinel peridotiteand garnet ± spinel pyroxenite xenoliths of Pan-Africanlithospheric mantle from Jordan, including the first high-precisiondouble-spike Pb isotope measurements of mantle clinopyroxene.Clinopyroxenes from the peridotites are variably Th–U–LILE–LREEenriched and display prominent negative Nb, Zr and Ti anomalies.MREE–HREE abundances can generally be modelled as partialmelting residues of spinel lherzolite with primitive-mantle-likecomposition after extraction of 5–10% melt, whereas theenrichments in Th–U–LILE–LREE require a Pan-Africanor later metasomatic event. The large range of Nd, Sr, Pb andHf isotope ratios in both peridotites and pyroxenites (e.g.Nd 1·4–17·5; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 17·2–20·4;Hf 0·6–164·6) encompasses compositionsmore radiogenic than mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and Pb isotopescover almost the entire range of oceanic basalt values. Hf valuesare some of the highest ever recorded in mantle samples andare decoupled from Nd in the same samples. Marked correlationsbetween Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes, LILE–LREE enrichmentsand HFSE depletion suggest that the metasomatizing agent wasa carbonatitic-rich melt and isotopic data suggest that metasomatismmay have been related to Pan-African subduction. The metasomaticmelt permeated depleted upper mantle (<16 kbar) during Pan-Africansubduction at 600–900 Ma, and the variably metasomatizedmaterial was then incorporated into the Arabian lithosphericmantle. There is no evidence for recent metasomatism (<30Ma) related to the Afar plume like that postulated to have affectedsouthern Arabian lithospheric mantle. Hf isotopes in the mantleclinopyroxenes are unaffected by metasomatism, and even somestrongly overprinted lithologies record ancient (>1·2Ga) pre-metasomatic Lu–Hf signatures of the depleted uppermantle that was the protolith of the Arabian lithospheric mantle.The ‘resistance’ of the Lu–Hf isotopic systemto later metasomatic events resulted in the development of extremelyheterogeneous Hf isotopic signatures over time that are decoupledfrom other isotopic systems. No mantle sample in this studyexactly matches the chemical and isotopic signature of the sourceof Jordanian intraplate basalts. However, the xenolith compositionsare broadly similar to those of the source of Arabian intraplatebasalts, suggesting that the numerous Cenozoic intraplate volcanicfields throughout Arabia may be the product of melting uppermantle wedge material fertilized during Pan-African subductionand incorporated into the Arabian lithospheric mantle. We proposea model whereby the proto-Arabian lithospheric mantle underwenta major melting event in early Proterozoic–late Archeantimes (at the earliest at 1·2 Ga). Island-arc volcanismand major crust formation occurred during the Pan-African orogeny,which liberated fluids and possibly small-degree melts thatmigrated through the mantle creating zones of enrichment forcertain elements depending upon their compatibility. Immobileelements, such as Nb, were concentrated near the base of themantle wedge providing the source of the Nb-rich Jordanian volcanicrocks. More mobile elements, such as LILE and LREE, were transportedup through the mantle and fertilized the shallow mantle sourceof the Jordanian xenoliths. Following subduction, the mantlewedge became fossilized and preserved distinct enriched anddepleted zones. Lithospheric rifting in the Miocene triggeredpartial melting of spinel-facies mantle in the lower lithosphere,which mixed with deeper asthenospheric garnet-facies melts asrifting evolved. These melts entrained segments of variablycarbonatite-metasomatized shallow lithospheric mantle en routeto the surface. KEY WORDS: Arabian lithospheric mantle; Jordan; mantle xenoliths; Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopes     

The Sub-lithospheric Source of North Atlantic Basalts: Evidence for, and Significance of, a Common End-member

Palaeogene basalts from the margins of the North Atlantic oftenshow geochemical variations that are consistent with their parentalmagmas having interacted with the lithosphere en route to theEarth’s surface. These geochemical trends vary dependingon the nature of the local lithospheric contaminants. Usingexamples from the British Tertiary Igneous Province and SE Greenland,we construct coherent contamination trends, which converge ona restricted Pb isotope composition, apparently indicating acommon uncontaminated asthenospheric mantle component. Significantly,this composition is also suitable as one end-member of the Pbisotope arrays recorded in Recent Icelandic basalts. We concludethat this composition has been a persistent component of theIceland plume over 60 my, dominating the mantle contributionto the Palaeocene phase of flood basalt magmatism but constitutingonly one end-member on Iceland. The Pb isotope composition ofthis ‘North Atlantic end-member’ is consistent with,but not necessarily demanding of, a primordial source. Recentevidence suggesting a lower-mantle origin for mantle plumesencourages investigation of whether the geochemical evidencesupports that hypothesis. Helium isotope data from PalaeogeneNorth Atlantic basalts support a lower-mantle contribution.However, mixing models suggest that it is unlikely that thelower-mantle contribution is large enough to dominate the Sr–Nd–Pbisotope compositions and lithophile trace element signaturesof any plume-derived basalts. KEY WORDS: North Atlantic; Iceland; lower mantle; mantle plumes; flood basalts; isotopes     

Geochemistry of Lavas from the Emperor Seamounts, and the Geochemical Evolution of Hawaiian Magmatism from 85 to 42 Ma

The Hawaiian–Emperor Seamount Chain (ESC), in the northernPacific Ocean, was produced during the passage of the PacificPlate over the Hawaiian hotspot. Major and trace element concentrationsand Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of shield andpost-shield lavas from nine of the Emperor Seamounts providea 43 Myr record of the chemistry of the oldest preserved Hawaiianmagmatism during the Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic (from85 to 42 Ma). These data demonstrate that there were large variationsin the composition of Hawaiian magmatism over this period. Tholeiiticbasalts from Meiji Seamount (85 Ma), at the northernmost endof the ESC, have low concentrations of incompatible trace elements,and unradiogenic Sr isotopic compositions, compared with youngerlavas from the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Chain (<43 Ma).Lavas from Detroit Seamount (81 Ma) have highly depleted incompatibletrace element and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions, which aresimilar to those of Pacific mid-ocean ridge basalts. Lavas fromthe younger Emperor Seamounts (62–42 Ma) have trace elementcompositions similar to those of lavas from the Hawaiian Islands,but initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios extend to lower values. From 81to 42 Ma there was a systematic increase in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of boththoleiitic and alkalic lavas. The age of the oceanic lithosphereat the time of seamount formation decreases northwards alongthe Emperor Seamount Chain, and the oldest Emperor Seamountswere built upon young, thin lithosphere close to a former spreadingcentre. However, the inferred distance of the Hawaiian plumefrom a former spreading centre, and the isotopic compositionsof the oldest Emperor lavas appear to rule out plume–ridgeinteraction as an explanation for their depleted compositions.We suggest that the observed temporal chemical and isotopicvariations may instead be due to variations in the degree ofmelting of a heterogeneous mantle, resulting from differencesin the thickness of the oceanic lithosphere upon which the EmperorSeamounts were constructed. During the Cretaceous, when theHawaiian plume was situated beneath young, thin lithosphere,the degree of melting within the plume was greater, and incompatibletrace element depleted, refractory mantle components contributedmore to melting. KEY WORDS: Emperor Seamounts; Hawaiian plume; lava geochemistry; lithosphere thickness; mantle heterogeneity     

Ultramafic Xenoliths from the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana, USA: Evidence for Multiple Metasomatic Events in the Lithospheric Mantle beneath the Wyoming Craton

Ultramafic xenoliths in Eocene minettes of the Bearpaw Mountainsvolcanic field (Montana, USA), derived from the lower lithosphereof the Wyoming craton, can be divided based on textural criteriainto tectonite and cumulate groups. The tectonites consist ofstrongly depleted spinel lherzolites, harzburgites and dunites.Although their mineralogical compositions are generally similarto those of spinel peridotites in off-craton settings, somecontain pyroxenes and spinels that have unusually low Al₂O₃contents more akin to those found in cratonic spinel peridotites.Furthermore, the tectonite peridotites have whole-rock majorelement compositions that tend to be significantly more depletedthan non-cratonic mantle spinel peridotites (high MgO, low CaO,Al₂O₃ and TiO₂) and resemble those of cratonic mantle. Thesecompositions could have been generated by up to 30% partialmelting of an undepleted mantle source. Petrographic evidencesuggests that the mantle beneath the Wyoming craton was re-enrichedin three ways: (1) by silicate melts that formed mica websteriteand clinopyroxenite veins; (2) by growth of phlogopite fromK-rich hydrous fluids; (3) by interaction with aqueous fluidsto form orthopyroxene porphyroblasts and orthopyroxenite veins.In contrast to their depleted major element compositions, thetectonite peridotites are mostly light rare earth element (LREE)-enrichedand show enrichment in fluid-mobile elements such as Cs, Rb,U and Pb on mantle-normalized diagrams. Lack of enrichment inhigh field strength elements (HFSE; e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf)suggests that the tectonite peridotites have been metasomatizedby a subduction-related fluid. Clinopyroxenes from the tectoniteperidotites have distinct U-shaped REE patterns with strongLREE enrichment. They have ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values that range from0·5121 (close to the host minette values) to 0·5107,similar to those of xenoliths from the nearby Highwood Mountains.Foliated mica websterites also have low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values (0·5113)and extremely high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in their constituent phlogopite,indicating an ancient (probably mid-Proterozoic) enrichment.This enriched mantle lithosphere later contributed to the formationof the high-K Eocene host magmas. The cumulate group rangesfrom clinopyroxene-rich mica peridotites (including abundantmica wehrlites) to mica clinopyroxenites. Most contain >30%phlogopite. Their mineral compositions are similar to thoseof phenocrysts in the host minettes. Their whole-rock compositionsare generally poorer in MgO but richer in incompatible traceelements than those of the tectonite peridotites. Whole-rocktrace element patterns are enriched in large ion lithophileelements (LILE; Rb, Cs, U and Pb) and depleted in HFSE (Nb,Ta Zr and Hf) as in the host minettes, and their Sr–Ndisotopic compositions are also identical to those of the minettes.Their clinopyroxenes are LREE-enriched and formed in equilibriumwith a LREE-enriched melt closely resembling the minettes. Thecumulates therefore represent a much younger magmatic event,related to crystallization at mantle depths of minette magmasin Eocene times, that caused further metasomatic enrichmentof the lithosphere. KEY WORDS: ultramafic xenoliths; Montana; Wyoming craton; metasomatism; cumulates; minette     

Petrogenesis of the Largest Intraplate Volcanic Field on the Arabian Plate (Jordan): a Mixed Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Source Activated by Lithospheric Extension

Miocene to Recent volcanism in northwestern Arabia producedthe largest intraplate volcanic field on the Arabian plate (HarratAsh Shaam, Jordan). The chemically and isotopically diversevolcanic field comprises mafic alkali basalts and basanites.The magmas underwent limited fractional crystallization of ol± cpx ± plag and rare samples have assimilatedup to 20% of Late Proterozoic crust en route to the surface.However, there are subtle Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic variations(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0·70305–0·70377, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd= 0·51297–0·51285, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18·8–19·2),which exhibit marked correlations with major elements, incompatibletrace element ratios and abundances in relatively primitivebasalts (MgO >8·5 wt %), and cannot be explained byfractional crystallization and crustal contamination alone.Instead, the data require polybaric melting of heterogeneoussources. Semi-quantitative melt modelling suggests that thisheterogeneity is the result of small degree melts (2–5%)from spinel- and garnet-facies mantle, inferred to be shallowArabian lithosphere, that mixed with smaller degree melts (<1%)from a predominantly deep garnet-bearing asthenospheric(?) sourcewith ocean island basalt characteristics. The latter may bea ubiquitous part of the asthenosphere but is preferentiallytapped at small degrees of partial melting. Volcanism in Jordanappears to be the result of melting lithospheric mantle in responseto lithospheric extension. With time, thinning of the lithosphereallowed progressively deeper mantle (asthenosphere?) to be activatedand melts from this to mix with the shallower lithospheric mantlemelts. Although Jordanian intraplate volcanism is isotopicallysimilar to examples of Late Cenozoic volcanism throughout theArabian peninsula (Israel, Saudi Arabia), subtle chemical andisotopic differences between Yemen and Jordan intraplate volcanismsuggest that the Afar plume has not been channelled northwestwardsbeneath the Arabian plate and played no role in producing thenorthern Saudi Arabian and Jordan intraplate volcanic fields. KEY WORDS: asthenosphere; intraplate volcanism; Jordan; lithospheric mantle; Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes     

Tertiary--Quaternary Extension-Related Alkaline Magmatism in Western and Central Europe

Primitive mafic alkaline volcanic rocks from the Tertiary-Quaternaryextension-related magmatic province of western and central Europehave major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopiccharacteristics which suggest the involvement of both lithosphericand asthenospheric mantle source components in their petrogenesis.Oxygen isotope data for the volcanic rocks, mantle xenoliths,and lower-crustal mafic xenoliths indicate that extensive crustalcontamination is not involved in the petrogenesis of these magmas. The geochemical characteristics of the lithospheric componentare in part constrained by those of spinel lherzolite and maficgranulite xenoliths entrained within the magmas. This componentappears to be the product of partial melting of phlogopite/amphibole-bearingmantle which was meta-somatized as a consequence of magmaticactivity during and preceding the Hercynian orogeny and duringphases of Permo-Carboniferous extension. Partial melting ofphlogopite is required to account for the generation, of potassicmagmas (leucitites and leucite nephelinites) with K₂O/Na₂O>1. This component appears to differ between the individual Hercynianterrane blocks of Europe, reflecting, in part, their previousmagmatic histories. The asthenospheric component has affinities with the sourceof St. Helena type (HIMU) OIB and may, in part, be 500–400 Ma recycled oceanic lithosphere subducted during the Hercynianorogeny. Alternatively, it could represent a zone of enrichedmantle at the base of the subcontinental lithosphere which ispreferentially partially melted during extension. There appearsto be no need to invoke the existence of deep mantle plumesto explain the HIMU characteristics, although the data do notpreclude them.     

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

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

Evidence for the multiple stage evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Eifel (Germany) from pyroxenite and composite pyroxenite/peridotite xenoliths

High temperature (1150–1250 °C), coarse-grained olivine-bearing clinopyroxenites occur in the ash-tuffs of the Dreiser Weiher maar-type volcano (West Eifel, Germany) as discrete xenoliths or as 1-5-cm-broad veins crosscutting anhydrous spinel peridotite host xenoliths. The clinopyroxenes (cpx) of these xenoliths have been analysed for trace element and Nd-Sr isotope compositions in order to document intra-suite variations and to constrain the processes involved in the formation of heterogeneities within a relatively well defined upper mantle section beneath the West Eifel. The patterns formed by cpx from the pyroxenites on multi-element diagrams are subparallel and convex-upward, showing troughs for high-field-strength elements (Nb, Zr, Hf, Ti) and Sr. Trace element modelling indicates that these pyroxenites represent high pressure precipitates of magmas that are more primitive or similar in compositions to the most undifferentiated Cenozoic alkali basaltic lavas from the West Eifel. The cpx cover the whole spectrum of Nd-Sr isotope compositions shown by the primitive lavas from the entire West Eifel volcanic field suggesting isotopic heterogeneity on the scale of an individual volcanic centre. Due to incomplete re-equilibration between the vein melts and the peridotitic wall rocks, cpx of the host peridotites of the composite xenoliths (that belong to the 1b-group of Stosch and Seck, 1980) have in some cases retained relics of a pre-vein host composition. The relic cpx range from LREE-depleted to LREE-enriched with isotope signatures indicating a time-integrated higher enrichment (lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) than the cpx of the corresponding veins. The trace element and isotope compositions of the xenoliths support the perception that magmas generated from sub-lithospheric mantle sources beneath the West Eifel formed a system of narrow dike networks and differentiated during their ascent through the lithosphere (Duda and Schmincke 1985). The data provide evidence that: (1) melts parental to the Dreiser Weiher pyroxenites are genetically related to the young alkali basaltic volcanics; (2) these melts can be derived from distinct domains of the mantle beneath Dreiser Weiher ranging in Sr-Nd isotope signatures from HIMU-like to Bulk-Silicate-Earth values; (3) the enrichment process associated with the upwards migration of these magmas was spatially limited to a cm-scale in the case of the studied composite xenoliths; (4) parts of the Dreiser Weiher lithosphere have experienced an enrichment prior to the vein interaction by a metasomatic agent that is isotopically unrelated to the primitive West Eifel lavas. Received: 25 August 1997 / Accepted: 25 November 1997     

Mantle-melt Evolution (Dynamic Source) in the Origin of a Single MORB Suite: a Perspective from Magnesian Glasses of Macquarie Island

The effects of source composition and source evolution duringprogressive partial melting on the chemistry of mantle-derivedmid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) melts were tested using a comprehensivegeochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataset for fresh,magnesian basaltic glasses from the Miocene Macquarie Islandophiolite, SW Pacific. These glasses: (1) exhibit clear parent–daughterrelationships; (2) allow simple reconstruction of primary meltcompositions; (3) show exceptional compositional diversity (e.g.K₂O/TiO₂ 0·09–0·9; La/Yb 1·5–22;²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 18·70–19·52); (4) preserve changesin major element and isotope compositions, which are correlatedwith the degree of trace element enrichment (e.g. La/Sm). Conventionalmodels for MORB genesis invoke melting of mantle that is heterogeneouson a small scale, followed by binary mixing of variably lithophileelement-enriched melt batches. This type of model fails to explainthe compositions of the Macquarie Island glasses, principallybecause incompatible element ratios (e.g. Nb/U, Sr/Nd) and Pbisotope ratios vary non-systematically with the degree of enrichment.We propose that individual melt batches are produced from instantaneous‘parental’ mantle parageneses, which change continuouslyas melting and melt extraction proceeds. This concept of a ‘dynamicsource’ combines the models of small-scale mantle heterogeneitiesand fractional melting. A dynamic source is an assemblage oflocally equilibrated mantle solids and a related melt fraction.Common MORB magmas that integrate the characteristics of numerousmelt batches therefore tend to conceal the chemical and isotopicidentity of a dynamic source. This study shows that isotoperatios of poorly mixed MORB melts are a complex function ofthe dynamic source evolution, and that the range in isotoperatios within a single MORB suite does not necessarily requiremixing of diverse components. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalt; Macquarie Island; radiogenic isotopes; mantle; geochemistry     

The Origin of HIMU in the SW Pacific: Evidence from Intraplate Volcanism in Southern New Zealand and Subantarctic Islands

This paper presents field, geochemical and isotopic (Sr, Nd,Pb) results on basalts from the Antipodes, Campbell and ChathamIslands, New Zealand. New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinations alongwith previous K–Ar dates reveal three major episodes ofvolcanic activity on Chatham Island (85–82, 41–35,5 Ma). Chatham and Antipodes samples comprise basanite, alkaliand transitional basalts that have HIMU-like isotopic (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb>20·3–20·8, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr <0·7033,¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd >0·5128) and trace element affinities(Ce/Pb 28–36, Nb/U 34–66, Ba/Nb 4–7). Thegeochemistry of transitional to Q-normative samples from CampbellIsland is explained by interaction with continental crust. Thevolcanism is part of a long-lived (100 Myr), low-volume, diffusealkaline magmatic province that includes deposits on the Northand South Islands of New Zealand as well as portions of WestAntarctica and SE Australia. All of these continental areaswere juxtaposed on the eastern margin of Gondwanaland at >83Ma. A ubiquitous feature of mafic alkaline rocks from this regionis their depletion in K and Pb relative to other highly incompatibleelements when normalized to primitive mantle values. The inversionof trace element data indicates enriched mantle sources thatcontain variable proportions of hydrous minerals. We proposethat the mantle sources represent continental lithosphere thathost amphibole/phlogopite-rich veins formed by plume- and/orsubduction-related metasomatism between 500 and 100 Ma. Thestrong HIMU signature (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb >20·5) is consideredto be an in-grown feature generated by partial dehydration andloss of hydrophile elements (Pb, Rb, K) relative to more magmaphileelements (Th, U, Sr) during short-term storage at the base ofthe lithosphere. KEY WORDS: continental alkaline basalts; lithospheric mantle, mantle metasomatism; New Zealand; OIB, HIMU; Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes; West Antarctica     

Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications of Late Cenozoic Basalts in North Queensland, Australia: Trace-element and Sr-Nd-Pb Isotope Evidence

Radiogenic isotopic (Sr–Nd–Pb) and trace-elementcompositions of late Cenozoic basalts from two discrete geographicalregions in North Queensland, Australia, can be used to identifycontributions from geochemically distinctive mantle source components.The North Queensland basalts have positive     

Melt Enrichment of Shallow Depleted Mantle: a Detailed Petrological, Trace Element and Isotopic Study of Mantle-Derived Xenoliths and Megacrysts from the Cameroon Line

Major element, trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopiccompositions of ultramafic xenoliths and megacrysts from thecontinental Cameroon line provide evidence for metasomatismof the upper most lithospheric mantle by enriched melts duringthe Mesozoic The megacrysts probably crystallized within thelower continental crust from melts similar to the host magmas.All the xenoliths originated as depleted residues after theextraction of basaltic melts, but some indicate evidence ofinteraction with enriched partial melts before entrainment.The U–Pb isotopic data on garnet are consistent with coolingthrough >900C at >300 Ma. The Sm–Nd isotope systematicsin constituent phases appear to have been in equilibrium ona xenolith scale at the time of entrainment, indicating derivationfrom mantle that remained at temperatures >600C until eruption.Spinel therzolies that show simple light rare earth element(LREE) depletions are characterized by isotopic compositionsthat are comparable with, but slightly more depleted than AtlanticN-MORB, suggesting that the unmetasomatized sub-continentallithosphere of the Cameroon line may be isotopically similarto that of sub-oceanic lithosphere. The Nd-depleted mantle modelages of these xenoliths are consistent with late Proterozoicdepletion, similar in age to much of the overlying continentalcrust. In contrast, samples that have LREE-enriched clinopyr-oxenes(La/Yb =4.7–9.4) contain trace amounts of amphibole, areenriched in U and have more radiogenic Pb and Sr. These xenolithsyield U–Pb and Sm–Nd model ages consistent withMesozoic enrichment, in agreement with the age of enrichmentof the source regions of the basalts, as deduced from Pb isotopiccompositions. Clinopyroxenes record three orders of magnitudeenrichment in U and LREE accompanied by progressive K depletionassociated with the growth of trace amphibole, with K/U ratiosthat range from 12000 to 1. The ratios of the trace elementsthought to have similar bulk D in mantle melting, Ce/Pb, Ba/Rband Nd/Sr ratios, display regional variations related to thetime integrated history of enrichments indicated by Nd isotopiccompositions. Mass balance calculations suggest that the meltsresponsible for the most recent enrichment of the lithospherehad higher La/Yb and U/Pb than Cameroon line host magmas, andwere probably the product of small degrees of partial meltingassociated with the earliest stages of the breakup of Pangea. KEY WORDS: Cameroon line; mantle xenoliths; megacrysts; REE; isotopic composition; trace element     

The Petrology of Basanite-Tephrite Intrusions in the Erongo Complex and Implications for a Plume Origin of Cretaceous Alkaline Complexes in Namibia

Basanite intrusions from the Early Cretaceous Erongo complex,Namibia, have compositions consistent with near-primary mantlemelts derived from a depth of at least 100 km. These rocks providea key reference for the mantle component(s) involved in breakup-relatedmagmatism in this region. Initial Sr–Nd–Pb isotoperatios of the Erongo basanites and associated tephrites andphonotephrites (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0·70425–0·70465;     

A Complex Petrogenesis for an Arc Magmatic Suite, St Kitts, Lesser Antilles

St Kitts forms one of the northern group of volcanic islandsin the Lesser Antilles arc. Eruptive products from the Mt Liamuigacentre are predominantly olivine + hypersthene-normative, low-Kbasalts through basaltic andesites to quartz-normative, low-Kandesites. Higher-Al and lower-Al groups can be distinguishedin the suite. Mineral assemblages include olivine, clinopyroxene,orthopyroxene, plagioclase and titanomagnetite with rarer amphibole,ilmenite and apatite. Eruptive temperatures of the andesitesare estimated as 963–950°C at fO₂ NNO + 1 (whereNNO is the nickel–nickel oxide buffer). Field and mineralchemical data provide evidence for magma mixing. Glass (melt)inclusions in the phenocrysts range in composition from andesiteto high-silica rhyolite. Compositional variations are broadlyconsistent with the evolution of more evolved magmas by crystalfractionation of basaltic parental magmas. The absence of anycovariation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr or ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and SiO₂ rulesout assimilation of older silicic crust. However, positive correlationsbetween Ba/La, La/Sm and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and between ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pband SiO₂ are consistent with assimilation of small amounts (<10%)of biogenic sediments. Trace element and Sr–Nd–Pbisotope data suggest derivation from a normal mid-ocean ridgebasalt (N-MORB)-type mantle source metasomatized by subductedsediment or sediment melt and fluid. The eruptive rocks arecharacterized by ²³⁸U excesses that indicate that fluid additionof U occurred <350 kyr ago; U–Th isotope data for mineralseparates are dominated by melt inclusions but would allow crystallizationages of 13–68 ka. However, plagioclase is consistentlydisplaced above these ‘isochrons’, with apparentages of 39–236 ka, and plagioclase crystal size distributionsare concave-upwards. These observations suggest that mixingprocesses are important. The presence of ²²⁶Ra excesses in twosamples indicates some fluid addition <8 kyr ago and thatthe magma residence times must also have been less than 8 kyr. KEY WORDS: Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes; U-series isotopes; crystal size distribution; petrogenesis