Early cenozoic magmatism in the continental margin of Kamchatka

The paper presents isotopic-geochemical features of magmatic rocks that were produced at the continental margin of Kamchatka during its various evolutionary stages. Continental-margin magmatism in Kamchatka is demonstrated to have evolved from the Paleocene until the present time. The Paleocene and Middle-Late Eocene magmatic complexes show features of suprasubduction magmatism. The magmatic melts were derived from isotopically heterogeneous (depleted and variably enriched, perhaps, as a consequence of mixing with within-plate melts) mantle sources and were likely contaminated with quartz-feldspathic sialic sediments. The Miocene preaccretion stage differs from the Paleogene-Eocene one in having a different geochemical and isotopic composition of the mantle magma sources: the magmatic sources of the Miocene suprasubduction magmas contained no compositions depleted in radiogenic Nd isotopes, whereas the sources of the within-plate magmas were enriched in HFSE. The Late Pliocene-Quaternary postaccretion magmas of the Eastern Kamchatka Belt are noted for the absence of a within-plate OIB-like component.     

Sources and evolution of the Cenozoic suprasubduction magmatism of the Olyutorsky tectonic block,southern Koryak highland

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the geochemical and isotopic compositions of rocks formed during the Eocene suprasubduction magmatism in the Olyutorsky tectonic block. The contribution of various suprasubduction components to the formation of magmatic melts was estimated; the characteristics of the Eocene and Miocene-Quaternary suprasubduction magmatism of the Olyutorsky tectonic block were compared; and relations of the Cenozoic magmatism to the tectonic development of the block were evaluated. The Eocene-early Oligocene suprasubduction magmas were derived from geochemically and isotopically heterogeneous garnet lherzolites in a mantle wedge. The initially depleted lherzolites of the mantle wedge were probably locally and variably enriched by OIB-type mantle melts before the generation of island-arc magmas and then again depleted below the MORB level by the extraction of magmatic materials from them. In the Eocene, a considerable amount of quartz-feldspar sediments enriched in radiogenic Nd was consumed in the subduction zone, which resulted in a strong contamination of magmas derived from the garnet lherzolites of the mantle wedge. The later stages of subduction were accompanied by active generation of adakite magmas with depleted Nd isotope signatures and HFSE-rich melts showing no evidence for their contamination by sialic sediments. It was supposed that the Late Cenozoic subduction zone plunged northward beneath the Olyutorsky tectonic block. It was shown that the established characteristics of the suprasubduction magmatism of the Olyutorsky tectonic block could be related to Cenozoic spreading processes in the proto-Komandorsky basin of the Bering Sea.     

Jurassic plutonism and crustal evolution in the central Mojave Desert,California

Middle to Late Jurassic plutonic rocks in the central Mojave Desert represent the continuation of the Sierran arc south of the Garlock fault. Rock types range from calc-alkaline gabbro to quartz monzonite. Chemical and isotopic data indicate that petrologic diversity is attributable to mixing of crustal components with mantle melts. Evidence for magma mixing is scarce in most plutons, but emplacement and injection of plutons into preexisting wallrocks (e.g. pendants of metasedimentary rocks) suggests that assimilation may be locally important. Field and petrographic evidence and major and trace element data indicate that the gabbros do not represent pure liquids but are, at least partly, cumulates. The cumulate nature of the gabbros coupled with field evidence for open-system contamination means that trace element contents of gabbros cannot be used to fingerprint the Jurassic mantle source, nor can isotopic data be unequivocally interpreted to reflect the isotopic composition of the mantle. Correlation of Sr and Nd isotropic composition with bulk composition allows some constraints to be placed on the mantle isotopic signature. Gabbros and mafic inclusions from localities north of Barstow, CA have the most depleted mantle-like isotopic signatures (Sr _{( i )}≈0.705 and ɛNd _(t)=≈0 to +1). However, these rocks have likely seen some contamination as well, so the mantle source probably has an even more depleted character. Gabbros with the lowest Sr( _i ) and highest ɛNd _(t) are also characterized by the highest ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb in the entire data set. This may be a feature of the mantle component in the Jurassic arc indicative of minor source contamination with subducted sediment as has been observed in modern continental arcs. Locally exposed Precambrian basement and metasedimentary rocks have appropriate Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic signatures for the crustal end members and are possible contaminants. Incorporation of these components through combined anatexis and assimilation can explain the observed spread in isotopic composition. Evidence for a depleted mantle component in these gabbros contrasts with the enriched subcontinental mantle component in Jurassic arc plutons further to the east and suggests there may have been a major mantle lithosphere boundary between the two areas as far back as the Late Jurassic. Crustal boundaries and isotopic provinces defined on the basis of initial isotopic composition (Sr( _i )=0.706 isopleth) are difficult to delineate because of the correlation of bulk composition with Sr and Nd isotopic composition and because values may differ depending on the age of the rocks sampled within a given area. Data from plutons intruded into rocks known or inferred to be Precambrian are, however, shifted dramatically (highest Sr_{( i )} and lowest ɛNd_(t)) toward Precambrian values. The least isotopically evolved rocks (lowest Sr( _i ) and highest ɛNd_(t)) occur within the eugeoclinal belt of the Mojave Desert. This zone has been previously identified as a Precambrian rift zone but more likely represents a zone where mantle magmas have been intruded into isotopically similar crustal rocks of the eugeocline with minor input from old Precambrian crust. Received: 12 August 1993/Accepted: 8 July 1994     

Crust-mantle interaction in continental arcs: inferences from the Mesozoic arc in the southwestern United States

Arc magmas ranging in composition from basaltic andesites to rhyolites and intrusive equivalents were emplaced into the western margin of the North American craton starting in Late Triassic time giving way to rift0related sedimentation in the Late Jurassic. The region of this study cuts across Proterozoic basements of contrasting Nd model ages, 1.7–1.8 Ga (average ɛ_Nd∼−11) in eastern Arizona and 2.0 to 2.3 GA (average ɛ_Nd∼−18) in western Arizona and eastern California (Bennett and DePaolo 1987). The Mesozoic rocks have initial ɛ_Nd of -3.4 to-6.4 in the eastern part of the study area and -7.1 to -9.2 in the western part. All of the rocks have elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁷Sr initial ratios (>0.706). Trends in initial ɛ_Nd values of Mesozoic arc rocks are directly correlated with the Nd model ages of the basement through which they passed. Simple two-component mixing calculations indicate that recycled continental crust in the arc magmas represents on average about 65%. A minimum of 35% mantle input into continental arc magmas, as recent as the Mesozoic, represents a significant contribution to the growth of the continental crust, in the absence of a return flow of continental material into the mantle of similar magnitude. In a detailed study in the Santa Rita Mountains. Arizona, there is a pattern of increase of ɛ_Nd with time: early basaltic andesites have more negative ɛ_Nd than later felsic rocks. A correlated pattern of depletion with time is also observed with trace element and major element data. We attribute this either to progressive hybridization of the lower crust by repeated injection of mantle magmas, or the progressive thinning of the continental crust during prolonged arc magmatism. The present data do not allow distinction between the two models. Progressive decrease in crustal contribution to arc magmas with time may be an important feature of continental arc evolution. Hybridization of the lower crust due to repeated injection of mantle melts during arc magmatism may help contribute to small-scale heterogeneities in lower crust inferred from seismic and xenolith data. Similarly, whether there is a well defined MOHO or sharp crust-mantle boundary in any given segment of the continental crust may in part depend on the extent of crust modification as a result of continental arc magmatism.     

Nd-Sr systematics of metamagmatic rocks of the Anginskaya and Talanchanskaya Formations,middle part of Lake Baikal

The paper presents data on the Nd-Sr systematics of magmatic rocks of the Khaidaiskii Series of the Anginskaya Formation in the Ol’khon region, western Baikal area, and rocks of the Talanchanskaya Formation on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Geochemical characteristics of these rocks are identical and testify to their arc provenance. At the same time, the ɛ_Nd^tof rocks of the Khaidaiskii Series in the Ol’khon area has positive values, and the data points of these rocks plot near the mantle succession line in the ɛ_Nd^t-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr diagram, whereas the ɛ_Nd^t values of rocks of the Talanchanskaya Formation are negative, and the data points of these rocks fall into the fourth quadrant in the ɛ_Nd^t-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr diagram. This testifies to a mantle genesis of the parental magmas of the Khaidaiskii Series and to the significant involvement of older crustal material in the generation of the melts that produced the orthorocks on the eastern shore of the lake. These conclusions are corroborated by model ages of magmatic rocks in the Ol’khon area (close to 1 Ga) and of rocks of the Talanchanskaya Formation (approximately 2 Ga). The comparison of our data with those obtained by other researchers on the Nd-Sr isotopic age of granulites of the Ol’khon Group and metavolcanics in various structural zones in the northern Baikal area suggests, with regard for the geochemistry of these rocks, the accretion of tectonic nappes that had different isotopic histories: some of them were derived from the mantle wedge and localized in the island arc itself (magmatic rocks of the Anginskaya Formation) or backarc spreading zone (mafic metamagmatic rocks of the Ol’khon Group), while others were partial melts derived, with the participation of crustal material, from sources of various age (metagraywackes in the backarc basin in the Ol’khon Group and the ensialic basement of the island arc in the Talanchanskaya Formation).     

Geodynamic settings and magma sources of the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene magmatic complexes of northern Kamchatka

Geochemical and isotopic studies showed that the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene magmatic rocks of northern Kamchatka were formed in different geodynamic zones of a Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene suprasubduction system: from a volcanic front to a back-arc rift basin. Suprasubduction magmas were derived from upper mantle garnet or spinel lherzolites variably depleted in terms of Nd isotopic composition or enriched in HFSE and showing varying Th/La, Th/Ta, Zr/Nb, and Nb/U ratios. Subduction-related fluids played an active role in this process. The suprasubduction mantle melts were not contaminated by crustal materials enriched in radiogenic Nd. A weak imprint of contamination was identified only in the lavas of Karaginsky Island.     

The Dovyren intrusive complex (northern Baikal region,Russia): isotope–geochemical markers of contamination of parental magmas and extreme enrichment of the source

The Dovyren intrusive complex includes the ore-bearing (Cu–Ni–PGE) Yoko–Dovyren layered pluton (728 Ma, up to 3.4 km in thickness), underlying ultramafic sills, and comagmatic leuconorite and gabbro-diabase dikes. Studies of Sr–Nd–Pb isotope systems were carried out for 24 intrusive rocks and five associated low- and high-Ti basalts. The high-Ti basalts show 0.7028 ≤ (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_T ≤ 0.7048 and 4.6 ≤ ε_Nd(T) ≤ 5.8, similar to the values in MORB. The intrusive basic and ultrabasic rocks are geochemically similar to the low-Ti formation, making a compact cluster of compositions with extremely high ratios of radiogenic Sr and Pb isotopes and low ε_Nd values. The maximum enrichment in radiogenic Sr is shown by the rocks near the pluton bottom ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_T = 0.71387 ± 0.00010 (2σ); ε_Nd(T) = –16.09 ± 0.06), which are the products of crystallization of the most primitive high-Mg magmas. The above-located dunites, troctolites, and gabbro show lower enrichment, probably because of the contamination of the host rocks during the filling of the magma chamber and/or because of the slight heterogeneity of the source. Calculations of the proportions of mixing of the parental melt with carbonate terrigenous material have shown that the variations in the Sr and Nd isotope ratios are due to the incredibly high contamination of the sediments, up to 40–50%. This contradicts the succession of the main rock types in the Yoko–Dovyren pluton in accordance with the crystallization of picrite-basaltic magma. The contribution of 5–10% high-Ti component seems more likely and suggests interaction between two isotopically contrasting magmas in this province in the Late Riphean. In general, the minor variations in ε_Nd(T) of the intrusive rocks and metavolcanics (–14.3 ± 1.1) testify to the isotopically anomalous source of the low-Ti magmas. The time variation trend of ε_Nd and geochemical features of the Dovyren rocks indicate that the products of melting of 2.7–2.8 Ga suprasubduction mantle might have been the massif protolith. Thus, the Dovyren parental magmas formed from a much older (sub)lithospheric source in the Late Riphean. The source was initially enriched in a mafic component with a low Sm/Nd ratio and was isolated from the convecting mantle and mantle melting processes for ~ 2 Gyr. The existence of such a long-living and at least twice reactivated lithospheric substratum is confirmed by the fact that the Nd isotope evolution trend of the initially nonanomalous mantle protolith includes not only the Dovyren rocks but also the Paleoproterozoic gabbro of the Chinei pluton and the Archean enderbites of the Baikal region.© 2015, V.S. Sobolev IGM, Siberian Branch of the RAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

Petrogenesis of isotopically unusual Pliocene olivine leucitites from Deep Springs Valley, California

High-K mafic alkalic lavas (5.4 to 3.2 wt% K₂O) from Deep Springs Valley, California define good correlations of increasing incompatible element (e.g., Sr, Zr, Ba, LREE) and compatible element contents (e.g., Ni, Cr) with increasing MgO. Strontium and Nd isotope compositions are also correlated with MgO; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios decrease and ɛ_Nd values increase with decreasing MgO. The Sr and Nd isotope compositions of these lavas are extreme compared to most other continental and oceanic rocks; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.7121 to 0.7105 and ɛ_Nd values range from −16.9 to −15.4. Lead isotope ratios are relatively constant, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼17.2, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼15.5, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼38.6. Depleted mantle model ages calculated using Sr and Nd isotopes imply that the reservoir these lavas were derived from has been distinct from the depleted mantle reservoir since the early Proterozoic. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotope variations of the Deep Springs Valley lavas are unique because they do not plot along either the EM I or EM II arrays. For example, most basalts that have low ɛ_Nd values and unradiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios have relatively low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (the EM I array), whereas basalts with low ɛ_Nd values and high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios have radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios (the EM II array). High-K lavas from Deep Springs Valley have EM II-like Sr and Nd isotope compositions, but EM I-like Pb isotope compositions. A simple method for producing the range of isotopic and major- and trace-element variations in the Deep Springs Valley lavas is by two-component mixing between this unusual K-rich mantle source and a more typical depleted mantle basalt. We favor passage of MORB-like magmas that partially fused and were contaminated by potassic magmas derived from melting high-K mantle veins that were stored in the lithospheric mantle. The origin of the anomalously high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios and low ɛ_Nd values and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios requires addition of an old component with high Rb/Sr and Th/Pb ratios but low Sm/Nd and U/Pb ratios into the mantle source region from which these basalts were derived. This old component may be sediments that were introduced into the mantle, either during Proterozoic subduction, or by foundering of Proterozoic age crust into the mantle at some time prior to eruption of the lavas. Received: 28 February 1997 / Accepted: 9 July 1998     

Generation of voluminous silicic magmas and formation of mid-Cenozoic crust beneath north-central Mexico: evidence from ignimbrites,associated lavas,deep crustal granulites,and mantle pyroxenites

 Isotopic and trace element data from mantle and granulite xenoliths are used to estimate the relative contributions of mantle and crustal components to a large ignimbrite, referred to as the upper ignimbrite, that is representative of the voluminous mid-Cenozoic rhyolites of northwestern Mexico. The study also uses data from the volcanic rocks to identify deep crustal xenoliths that are samples of new crust created by the Tertiary magmatism. The isotopic composition of the mantle component is defined by mantle-derived pyroxenites that are interpreted to have precipitated from mid-Cenozoic basaltic magmas. This component has ɛ_Nd≈+1.5, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr≈0.7043 and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb≈18.6. Within the upper ignimbrite and associated andesitic and dacitic lavas, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is positively correlated with SiO₂, reaching 0.7164 in the ignimbrite. Initial ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios also show a positive correlation with silica, whereas ɛ_Nd values have a crude negative correlation, reaching values as low as −2. Of the four isotopically distinct crustal components identified from studies of granulite xenoliths, only the sedimentary protolith of the paragneiss xenoliths can be responsible for the high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of the upper ignimbrite. The Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic compositions of the upper ignimbrite can be modeled with relatively modest assimilation (≤20%) of the sedimentary component ± Proterozoic granulite. Gabbroic composition granulite xenoliths have distinctive Nd, Sr, and Pb isotope ratios that cluster closely within the range of compositions found in the andesitic and dacitic lavas. These mafic granulites are cumulates, and their protoliths are interpreted to have precipitated from the intermediate to silicic magmas at 32–31 Ma. These mafic cumulate rocks are probably representative of much of the deep crust that formed during mid-Cenozoic magmatism in Mexico. Worldwide xenolith studies suggest that the relatively great depth (≤20 km) at which assimilation-fractional crystallization took place in the intermediate to silicic magma systems of the La Olivina region is the rule rather than the exception. Oligocene ignimbrites of the southwestern United States (SWUS) have substantially lower ɛ_Nd values (e.g. <−6) than the upper ignimbrite and other rhyolites from Mexico. This difference appears to reflect a greater crustal contribution to ignimbrites of the SWUS, perhaps due to a higher temperature of the lower crust prior to the emplacement of the Oligocene basaltic magmas. Received: 16 December 1994 / Accepted: 13 September 1995     

Rare earth element, 87Sr/86Sr,and 143Nd/144Nd compositions of Cenozoic orogenic dacites from Baja California,northwestern Mexico,and adjacent west Texas: evidence for the predominance of a subcrustal component

Dacitic lavas and ignimbrites were examined from seven localities that span the entire 700 km width of the mid- to late Cenozoic magmatic arc of northwestern Mexico and adjacent west Texas. These rocks have remarkably similar REE patterns that are parallel in the heavy REE and have modest negative Eu anomalies. Samples from three localities including Baja California, the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the Chihuahuan Basin and Range have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr between 0.7044 and 0.7050 and _Nd near 0.0±1.0. These dacites are isotopically similar to associated basalts, and they show no systematic isotopic variation that is correlated with age or composition of the basement. There is no evidence that magmas parental to these dacites interacted significantly with continental crust. Samples form three other localites in the Basin and Range vary in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.7051 to 0.7070 and _Nd from about -1 to –2. The composition of these rocks reflects contamination of the parental magmas by relatively small amounts of Precambrian crust. Collectively, the dacites of this study show much less isotopic variation than do Mesozoic granitoids (Farmer and DePaolo 1983) and late Cenozoic olivine tholeiites (Hart 1985) from similar transects of the western United States. The distinctive source region for the magmas parental to the Mexican dacites was relatively uniform isotopically, but it was enriched in LIL and HFS elements beneath the eastern Basin and Range.     

Nd and Sr isotopic constraints on the origin of igneous rocks resulting from the opening of the Japan Sea, southwestern Japan

Strontium and Nd isotopic compositions and trace element abundances were determined for Cretaceous to late Cenozoic igneous rocks from the Japan Sea side of Southwest Japan in order to investigate the effect of the opening of the Japan Sea on igneous activity. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for both high and low silica rocks decrease with decreasing age since the middle Miocene, when the opening occurred. Similarly, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values for these rocks increase with decreasing age, and are negatively correlated with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. A two-component mixing process can best account for these isotopic and chemical characteristics. One end-member is likely the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) and its derivative mafic to intermediate materials which had ɛ_Nd values of around +3. The other endmember consists of mafic to intermediate rocks with low ɛ_Nd values (e.g., −8), probably located in the lower crust. The mantle upwelling associated with the opening of the Japan Sea did not supply typical MORB or MORB-source materials to the crust, but did provide the heat that caused the melting of lithospheric mantle and lower crust. Received: 29 August 1996 / Accepted: 6 May 1997     

Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of the Tongshankou and Yinzu Adakitic Intrusive Rocks and the Associated Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Mineralization in Southeast Hubei, East China

Abstract. The late Jurassic Tongshankou and Yinzu plutons in southeast Hubei have been investigated for their contrasting metal mineralization features. The former is closely associated with porphyry Cu‐Mo mineralization, while the latter is barren of metal mineralization, althouth both are located very close to each other. The Tongshankou granodiorite porphyries and the Yinzu granodiorites are geochemically similar to adakites, e.g., high Al₂O₃ and Sr contents and La/Yb and Sr/Y ratios, enriched in Na₂O, depleted in Y and Yb, very weak Eu anomalies and positive Sr anomalies. However, different geochemi‐cal characteristics exist between the two plutons: the Tongshankou adakitic rocks (1) are relatively enriched in SiO₂, K₂O, MgO, Cr, Ni, and Sr and depleted in Y and Yb; (2) have higher degree REE differentiation; (3) have positive Eu anomalies in contrast with very weak negative or unclear Eu anomalies in the Yinzu rocks; and (4) isotopically have relatively higher eP_Nd(t) values (‐5.19 to ‐5.38) and lower initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7060 to 0.7062), while the Yinzu adakitic rocks have relatively lower eP_Nd(t) values (‐7.22 to ‐8.67) and higher initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7065 to 0.7074). The trace element and isotopic data demonstrate that the Tongshankou adakitic rocks were most probably originated from partial melting of delaminated lower crust with garnet being the main residual mineral whereas little or no plagioclase in the source. On the contrary, the Yinzu adakitic rocks were likely derived from partial melting of thickened lower crust, with residual garnet and a small quantity of plagioclase and hornblende in the source. Interactions between the adakitic magmas and mantle peridotites possibly took place during the ascent of the Tongshankou adakitic magmas through the mantle, considering that MgO, Cr, and Ni contents and eP_Nd(t) values of the adakitic magmas were possibly elevated and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios were possibly lowered due to the contamination of mantle peridotites. In addition, the Fe₂O₃ of the adakitic magmas was likely released into the mantle and the oxygen fugacities (?_o2) of the latter were obviously possibly raised, which made metallic sulfide in the mantle oxidized and the chalcophile elements such as Cu were incorporated into the adakitic magmas. The ascent of the adakitic magmas enriched in Cu and Mo will lead to the formation of porphyry Cu‐Mo deposit. Nevertheless, the Yinzu adakitic magmas were possibly lack of metallogenetic materials due to not interacting with mantle peridotite, and thus unfavorable to metal mineralization.     

Nd and Sr isotopes in the Aleutians: multicomponent parenthood of island-arc magmas

Young volcanic rocks from different sections of the Aleutian Islands-Alaska Peninsula Arc have been measured for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and some trace elements. We found the ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd to be highly restricted in range ( _Nd=6 to 7) and low as compared to midocean ridge ba-salts (MORB). This indicates that the source of the Aleutian Arc magmas is different from MORB and remarkably isotopically homogeneous with respect to Nd. The range reported here for arc rocks is substantially smaller than found by other workers. However, the Sr isotope ratios vary considerably ( _Sr=–24 to –14). Those samples from small volcanic centers north of the main arc (second arc) are characterized by low _Sr. Our data in combination with previous studies suggest that there are slight geochemical differences between discrete sections of the arc. The general uniformity of Nd isotope ratios are thought to be the surface expression of an efficient mixing or homogenization process beneath the arc plate, but which still causes a wide dispersion in Sr isotopic composition.To relate the arc rocks to the broader tectonic setting and to identify possible sources of arc magmas, measurements were done on volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the North Pacific/Bering Sea area. Alkali basalts from the back-arc islands St. George, Nunivak and St. Lawrence and alkali-rich tholeiites from the fore-arc have _Nd=+4 to +9 and are correlated on the _Sr- _Nddiagram parallel to the mantle array but shifted to lower _Sr. These samples are thought to be isotopically representative of the mantle transported to that region. A tholeiitic basalt from the Kamchatka Basin ocean floor (back-arc), however, yielded typical MORB values ( _Nd=10, _Sr=–24). Composite sediment samples were made from DSDP cores in the Aleutian Abyssal Plain, Gulf of Alaska and the Alka Basin which represent mixtures of continentally and arc-derived materials. These composites have intermediate Nd isotopic ( _Nd= –2 and +2) and high Sr isotopic values ( _Sr=+9 and +37). These data show that possible source materials of the Aleutian Arc volcanics are isotopically different from and much more heterogeneous than the arc rocks themselves.On the basis of this study and of literature data, we developed a set of alternative models for volcanic arc magma generation, based on the restricted range in _Nd and the wider range in _Sr for arc rocks. Different isotopic and trace element characteristics found in different arcs or arc sections are explained by varying mixing proportions or concentrations in source materials. The basic observations require rather strict mixing ratios to obtain constant _Nd. The preferred model is one where the melting of subducted oceanic crust is controlled by the amount of trapped sediment with the melting restricted to the upper part of the altered basaltic layer. Homogenization within the upper part of the oceanic crust is brought about by hydrothermal circulation attending dewatering of the slab during subduction and possibly some oxygen exchange of the magmas on ascent.Division Contribution Number 3849 (411)     

Plutonism in the Variscan Odenwald (Germany): from subduction to collision

 Latest Devonian to early Carboniferous plutonic rocks from the Odenwald accretionary complex reflect the transition from a subduction to a collisional setting. For ∼362 Ma old gabbroic rocks from the northern tectonometamorphic unit I, initial isotopic compositions (ε_Nd=+3.4 to +3.8;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr =0.7035–0.7053;δ¹⁸O=6.8–8.0‰) and chemical signatures (e.g., low Nb/Th, Nb/U, Ce/Pb, Th/U, Rb/Cs) indicate a subduction-related origin by partial melting of a shallow depleted mantle source metasomatized by water-rich, large ion lithophile element-loaded fluids. In the central (unit II) and southern (unit III) Odenwald, syncollisional mafic to felsic granitoids were emplaced in a transtensional setting at approximately 340–335 Ma B.P. Unit II comprises a mafic and a felsic suite that are genetically unrelated. Both suites are intermediate between the medium-K and high-K series and have similar initial Nd and Sr signatures (ε_Nd=0.0 to –2.5;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7044–0.7056) but different oxygen isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O=7.3–8.7‰ in mafic vs 9.3–9.5‰ in felsic rocks). These characteristics, in conjunction with the chemical signatures, suggest an enriched mantle source for the mafic magmas and a shallow metaluminous crustal source for the felsic magmas. Younger intrusives of unit II have higher Sr/Y, Zr/Y, and Tb/Yb ratios suggesting magma segregation at greater depths. Mafic high-K to shoshonitic intrusives of the southern unit III have initial isotopic compositions (ε_Nd=–1.1 to –1.8;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr =0.7054–0.7062;δ¹⁸O=7.2–7.6‰) and chemical characteristics (e.g., high Sr/Y, Zr/Y, Tb/Yb) that are strongly indicative of a deep-seated enriched mantle source. Spatially associated felsic high-K to shoshonitic rocks of unit III may be derived by dehydration melting of garnet-rich metaluminous crustal source rocks or may represent hybrid magmas. Received: 7 December 1998 / Accepted: 27 April 1999     

Patterns of Nd and Sr isotopic ratios produced by magmatic and post-magmatic processes in the Shiant Isles Main Sill, Scotland

The Shiant Isles Main Sill of the British Tertiary Igneous Province is a classic example of a differentiated, alkaline basic sill. Four separate intrusions, each emplaced internally in rapid succession, form a 165-m-thick sill hosted by Lower Jurassic sedimentary rocks. Extensive Nd and Sr isotopic studies were conducted on samples from a vertical section through the sill where the relationships of samples to one another are well defined. The results illuminate patterns of modification of isotopic ratios and clarify the petrogenesis (magma sources, crustal contamination), magmatic processes (bulk mixing, interstitial liquid mixing), and post-magmatic alteration (hydrothermal effects on Sr and Nd). Overall, the whole-rock initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from ∼0.7037 to 0.7061 while initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios vary from ∼0.51243 to 0.51286 (ɛ_Nd∼−0.7 to +5.7) – values that contrast markedly with those of the country rock. Acid leaching (HCl) of the whole-rock samples that removes analcime indicates that most of the scatter in the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is caused by the ubiquitous sub-solidus, aqueous alteration during which more-radiogenic Sr was introduced into the sill, especially along the margins, and also reveals magmatic isotopic ratios. In contrast, Nd was immobile during fluid interaction so that the sill ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios were not affected, even <1 m from the country-rock contact. Using leached rock values, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios are inversely correlated from magmatic processes. Magmas with two distinct isotopic compositions were involved: a more primitive one with ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ∼0.51285 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ∼0.7035 that produced the first two intrusions and a more evolved one (with 0.51252 and 0.7048) that produced the third intrusion. Mixing of the two magmas was very limited, restricted to near contacts between units, and apparently occurred by interstitial melt migration. The more evolved crinanitic magma was probably produced from a batch of the more primitive picritic melt by a small degree of crustal contamination and crystal fractionation during a short crustal residence prior to ascent and emplacement. Received: 20 December 1999 / Accepted: 5 May 2000     

Subduction of Indian continent beneath southern Tibet in the latest Eocene (~ 35 Ma): Insights from the Quguosha gabbros in southern Lhasa block

Geophysical data illustrate that the Indian continental lithosphere has northward subducted beneath the Tibet Plateau, reaching the Bangong–Nujiang suture in central Tibet. However, when the Indian continental lithosphere started to subduct, and whether the Indian continental crust has injected into the mantle beneath southern Lhasa block, are not clear. Here we report new results from the Quguosha gabbros of southern Lhasa block, southern Tibet. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of two samples gives a ca. 35 Ma formation age (i.e., the latest Eocene) for the Quguosha gabbros. The Quguosha gabbro samples are geochemically characterized by variable SiO₂ and MgO contents, strongly negative Nb–Ta–Ti and slightly negative Eu anomalies, and uniform initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7056–0.7058) and ε_Nd(t) (− 2.2 to − 3.6). They exhibit Sr–Nd isotopic compositions different from those of the Jurassic–Eocene magmatic rocks with depleted Sr–Nd isotopic characteristics, but somewhat similar to those of Oligocene–Miocene K-rich magmatic rocks with enriched Sr–Nd isotopic characteristics. We therefore propose that an enriched Indian crustal component was added into the lithospheric mantle beneath southern Lhasa by continental subduction at least prior to the latest Eocene (ca. 35 Ma). We interpret the Quguosha mafic magmas to have been generated by partial melting of lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted continental sediments, which entered continental subduction channel(s) and then probably accreted or underplated into the overlying mantle during the northward subduction of the Indian continent. Continental subduction likely played a key role in the formation of the Tibetan plateau at an earlier date than previously thought.     

The evolution of a silicic magma system: isotopic and chemical evidence from the Woods Mountains volcanic center,eastern California

The isotopic compositions of Nd and Sr and concentrations of major and trace elements were measured in flows and tuffs of the Woods Mountains volcanic center of eastern California to assess the relative roles of mantle versus crustal magma sources and of fractional crystallization in the evolution of silicic magmatic systems. This site was chosen because the contrast in isotopic composition between Precambrian-to-Mesozoic country rocks and the underlying mantle make the isotope ratios sensitive indicators of the proportions of crustal- and mantle-derived magma. The major eruptive unit is the Wild Horse Mesa tuff (15.8 m.y. old), a compositionally zoned rhyolite ignimbrite. Trachyte pumice fragments in the ash-flow deposits provide information on intermediate composition magma types. Crustal xenoliths and younger flows of basalt and andesite (10 m.y. old) provide opportunities to confirm the isotopic compositions of potential mantle and crustal magma sources inferred from regional patterns. The trachyte and rhyolite have _Nd values of -6.2 to -7.5 and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios mostly between 0.7086 and 0.7113. These magmas cannot have been melted directly from the continental basement because the _Nd values are too high. They also cannot have formed by closed system fractional crystallization of basalt because the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are higher than likely values for parental basalt. Both major and trace element variations indicate that crystal fractionation was an important process. These results require that the silicic magmas are end products of the evolution of mantle-derived basalt that underwent extensive fractional crystallization accompanied by assimilation of crustal rock. The mass fraction of crustal components in the trachyte and rhyolite is estimated to be between 10% and 40%, with the lower end of the range considered more likely. The generation of magmas with SiO₂ contents greater than 60% appears to be dominated by crystal fractionation with minimal assimilation of upper crustal rocks.     

Indirect crustal contamination: evidence from isotopic and chemical disequilibria in minerals from alkali basalts and nephelinites from northern Tanzania

 Alkali basalts and nephelinites from the volcanic province of northern Tanzania contain pyroxene and nepheline that show evidence for chemical and/or isotopic disequilibria with their host magmas. Olivine, pyroxene, nepheline and plagioclase all appear to be partially xenocrystic in origin. Five whole rock/mineral separate pairs have been analyzed for Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are distinct by as much as 20.94 (whole rock) vs. 19.10 (clinopyroxene separate). The Sr and Nd isotopic disequilibria vary from insignificant in the case of nepheline, to Δ ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.0002 and Δɛ_Nd of 0.7 in the case of clinopyroxene. The mineral chemistry of 25 samples indicates the ubiquitous presence of minerals that did not crystallize from a liquid represented by the host rock. The northern Tanzanian magmas are peralkaline and exhibit none of the xenocrystic phases expected from crustal assimilation. The disequilibria cannot be the result of mantle source variations. Rather the xenocrystic phases present appear to have been derived from earlier alkali basaltic rocks or magmas that were contaminated by the crust. Material from this earlier magma was then mixed with batches of magma that subsequently erupted on the surface. Disequilibrium in volcanic rocks has potentially serious consequences for the use of whole rock data to identify source reservoirs. However, mass balance calculations reveal that the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotopic compositions of the erupted lavas were changed by less than 0.25% as a result of this indirect crustal contamination. Received: 15 February 1995 / Accepted: 4 May 1996     

Nd isotopes demonstrate the role of contamination in the formation of coexisting quartz and nepheline syenites at the Abu Khruq Complex,Egypt

The petrogenesis of Abu Khruq, an 89 Ma alkaline ring complex of eastern Egypt which is composed of alkali gabbros and both silica over- and undersaturated syenites, has been investigated. Major and trace element relationships and Nd and Sr isotope data are consistent with formation of the gabbros from an alkaline mafic magma that experienced extensive fractionation, and all syenites from a felsic derivative of this melt. The parental magma had an ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7030 and an ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512750 (_Nd = +4.4) indicating derivation from a depeleted mantle source. The initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios are: 0.512721 to 0.512748 for the gabbros, 0.512739 to 0.512750 for the alkali syenites and trachytes, 0.512717 to 0.512755 for the nepheline syenites, and, 0.512706 to 0.512732 for the quartz syenites. In contrast, analyzed Precambrian granites from eastern Egypt have generally lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios (ranging from 0.51247 to 0.51261 or _Nd = -0.8 to 1.7, for 89Ma); their Nd model ages range from 775 to 935 Ma and suggest there was no significant input of pre-Pan-African crust in their formation. Among Abu Khruq rocks, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios indicate that the quartz syenites formed by open-system, crustal contamination processes whereas the nepheline syenites experienced little or no contamination. Modeling shows that contamination occurred at various stages, affecting both mafic and more evolved compositions with input of about 20% crustal Nd for the most contaminated samples. The degree of contamination is related to the silica saturation of the quartz syenites. Simplified modeling of magma evolution within Petrogeny's Residua System demonstrates the ability of AFC processes to cause a critically undersaturated magma to evolve across the feldspar join and produce oversaturated rocks. The oversaturated syenites at Abu Khruq were produced in this manner whereas the nepheline syenites formed by fractionation without similarly large degrees of contamination. The results have broad implications for the formation of subvolcanic complexes in continental settings beyond the important production of silica oversaturated compositions from crustal interaction. They underscore the importance of crustal interactions in the formation of the various lithologies. Such interactions occur at various stages in the evolution of the magmas and, as such, are not strictly coupled with fractional crystallization. While previous study of Abu Khruq has demonstrated extensive hydrothermal alteration of O and Sr isotopes, the present work shows that the Nd isotope ratios were not significantly affected and thus reflect magmatic signatures. This feature combined with relatively small corrections for initial ratios emphasizes the utility of Nd isotopes for petrogenetic studies.     

Interaction between a mafic melt and host rocks during formation of the Kivakka layered intrusion,North Karelia

The study of interaction between mantle melts and crustal rocks is of great importance for deciphering the evolution of the Earth’s crust and for better understanding the composition of mantle sources, in particular, the degree of their compositional heterogeneity. This work presents the results of Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic studies of 37 samples taken from the Kivakka layered intrusion, host rocks, and rocks at the contact. The studies were aimed at verifying the hypothesis of possible crustal contamination of mafic melt during magma chamber crystallization. It was found that the section of the Kivakka layered massif is characterized by initial Sr and Nd isotopic heterogeneity, with negative correlation between initial Nd isotopic ratio and its content. The rocks of the massif have low ɛ_Nd(T) values.