Ce and Nd isotope geochemistry on island arc volcanic rocks with negative Ce anomaly: existence of sources with concave REE patterns in the mantle beneath the Solomon and Bonin island arcs

¹³⁸Ce/¹⁴²Ce isotope ratios in Cenozoic island arc volcanic rocks are reported for the first time, together with isotope ratios of Nd and Sr and abundances of REE, Ba and Sr. The island arc volcanics studies here are boninites from Chichijima, the Bonin Islands, and basalts and andesites from the Solomon Islands. REE patterns of the island arc volcanic rocks from the Solmon Islands and the Bonin Islands are confirmed to have negative Ce anomalies. It is also disclosed that the majority of these island arc volcanic rocks show mainly positive values for both _Ce and _Nd. It is shown that these _Ce and _Ce values can hardly be interpreted by simple mixing between MORB and oceanic or continental crustal rocks; the former have positive _Nd and negative _Ce and the latter have negative _Ce and positive or negative _Nd. Existence of sources having positive _Ce and _Nd values is strongly suggested. If the sources are assumed to have been fractionated from CHUR (chondritic uniform reservoir) at the early or middle Precambrian era, the sources from which the volcanics were derived are concluded to have kept concave REE patterns with larger (La/Ce)_N and smaller (Nd/Sm)_N ratios than chondritic values over a substantial period of time, until the time of Cenozoic magmatism forming island arc volcanic rocks in question. During the periods of the Cenozoic magmatic activities and their related events, Ce anomalies are considered to have been created. From Ce and Nd isotope ratios, however, it is difficult to determine which of the following processes was responsible for the Ce anomaly; the incorporation process of subducted oceanic crust into magma at the mantle or the slab dehydration and metasomatism process. Nevertheless, so far as Ce and Nd isotopic ratios are concerned, incorporation of oceanic sediments did not take place to any clearly detectable degree.     

Nd and Sr isotope systematics of the Oka complex,Quebec, and their bearing on the evolution of the sub-continental upper mantle

A detailed isotopic study of minerals and whole rocks from the Cretaceous Oka complex, Quebec, Canada, shows a very small variation in initial Nd and Sr isotopic compositions. Assuming an age of 109 Ma for the complex, apatite, calcite, garnet, melilite, monticellite, olivine and pyroxene and whole rocks yield a range for initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70323–0.70333; and for initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.51271–0.51284 ( _SR(T)= –14.8 to –16.2; _Nd(T)=+4.1 to +6.6). The negative _SR and positive _Nd indicate derivation of the Nd and Sr from a source with a time-integrated depletion in the large-ion lithophile (LIL) elements. This agrees with data from other Canadian carbonatites and confirms that a large part of the Canadian Shield is underlain by a source region depleted in the LIL elements. The new data from Oka suggest that the depleted source may have remained coupled to the continental crust until recent time.     

Nd-Sr-Pb systematics and age of the Kings River ophiolite,California: implications for depleted mantle evolution

Sm-Nd whole-rock and mineral data for the Kings River ophiolite define two isochrons of 485±21 Ma and 285±45 Ma age with _Nd (483)= +10.7±0.5 and Nd (285)= +9.9±1.1, respectively. The 483 Ma isochron is defined by samples of the main igneous construct. Samples from crosscutting diabase dikes and flaser gabbro sheets within the peridotite unit yield the 285 Ma isochron. The 483 Ma data provide the first evidence of lower Paleozoic oceanic crust in the Sierran ophiolite belt. New U-Pb analyses of zircons from a plagiogranite lying on the 483 Ma Sm-Nd isochron yield upper and lower intercepts with the concordia of 430 _–60 ⁺²⁰⁰ and 183±15 Ma. Published zircon ages have underestimated the primary age of the ophiolite by 200–300 m.y. due to the effects of polymetamorphism. The 483 Ma samples have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7023–0.7030, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=17.14–17.82, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.37–15.52, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=36.80–37.38. The 285 Ma samples have similar initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, but more radiogenic Pb. The range in Sr and Pb compositions is probably due to introduction of radiogenic Sr and Pb during multiple post-emplacement metamorphic events. The high _Nd, low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb of the least disturbed samples are clearly diagnostic of a midocean ridge origin for the 483 Ma portion of the ophiolite. Igneous activity at 285 Ma is thought to have occurred in an arc or back-arc setting, or perhaps along a leaky transform. The initial _Nd (483)=+10.7 is indistinguishable from that of the similar age Trinity Peridotite (Jacobsen et al. 1984). This value is the highest yet reported for the Mesozoic or Paleozoic depleted mantle and requires either a mantle source that was depleted 850 m.y. earlier than average or a source more highly depleted than average. Alternatively, if such values were more typical of the early Paleozoic mantle than is currently thought, then there has been little evolution of the depleted mantle over the last 500 m.y. This requires that the modern mantle has been refluxed by material with low _Nd, such as continental crust.Division Contribution # 4302 (530)     

Petrogenesis and significance of late Caledonian granitoid magmatism in western Norway

Obduction of the late Ordovician Solund-Stavfjord Ophiolite Complex (443±3 Ma), west Norwegian Caledonides, involved generation and high-level emplacement of granitic and granodioritic dikes and plutons. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the granites are low (0.7042–0.7059), suggesting either a mantle component or a Rb-poor crustal source. Initial Nd (Nd(t)) ranges from-0.8 to-8.8, indicating that the granites represent recycling of old crustal rocks, which is supported by Precambrian inheritance in zircons from two of the studied granites. I argue that the Rb-Sr and the Sm-Nd isotope systems are decoupled in the sense that the Sr-and the Nd-isotopes derive their dominant signals from two different sources, a mantle source and a crustal source respectively. The granites are metaluminous to peraluminous and typically have high Sr, Ba and Na₂O/K₂O ratios. SiO₂ contents range from 66 to 74 wt%. REE abundances are highly variable; the La contents range from 80 to 200 times chondrite, and are inversely correlated with the contents of SiO₂. The concentration of Nd in the granites decreases asymptotically with decreasing Nd(t) suggesting fractional crystallization of accessory phases and assimilation of continental crust. This argument is supported by the presence of partly dismembered xenoliths in the granites with Nd(t)-values that are significantly lower than Nd(t)-values in the host granite. The following models are suggested for the granites. When the ophiolite complex obducted, an outboard subduction zone approached the continental margin, and subduction-related magmas accumulated beneath the continental margin, and probably intruded the overlying eugeosynclinal deposits. The mantle-derived magmas most likely evolved to granitoid composition by assimilation of these eugeosynclinal sediments and by fractional crystallization of amphibole, feldspar, sphene, and allanite. Alternatively, but less likely, the heat content of the mantle-derived magmas caused extensive melting of immature graywackes and calc-alkaline volcaniclastic rocks in the deepest portions of the eugeosyncline. Either way, during ascent, the compositions of the granitic melts were modified by fractional crystallization of LREE-rich phases and by assimilation of continental metasediments.     

Origin of continental crust of 1.9-1.7 Ga age defined by Nd isotopes in the Ketilidian terrain of South Greenland

Initial Nd isotope ratios are determined for components of 1.9-1.7 Ga age continental crust in the Ketilidian terrain of South Greenland. The Ketilidian has well-documented ages of migmatization/metamorphism (1.80 Ga) and post-tectonic granitoid intrusion (1.76-1.74 Ga) from U-Pb zircon studies. The Nd results show that: (1) metatholeiites with chondritic ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd have _Nd=+4 to +5 at 1.8 Ga; (2) migmatites, paragneisses and an early granitoid have _Nd close to zero; (3) post-tectonic norites have _Nd +1.5, while spatially associated more-abundant granitoids have _Nd=0 to +1. The metatholeiites show that a normal depleted mantle (_Nd=+4 to +5) was present beneath this 1.9-1.7 Ga orogenic zone, as is the case in such environments today. However, metatholeiites are an insignificant part of the Ketilidian crust, and the bulk initial ratio of the whole terrain lies close to _Nd=0. Rather than invoking depleted and undepleted mantle sources whose products did not mix, we infer the _Nd=0 value to be caused by mixing of a component derived from depleted mantle (_Nd=+ 4 to +5) with Archean crustal material (_Nd=-9 to -13). As there are no proven relics of Archean crust beyond the border zone of the Ketilidian, and the _Nd= 0 value appears to be a wellhomogenized feature, we propose that the Archean material was added in the form of sediments transported to the orogenic zone on oceanic crust. The Archean component comprised between 5 and 17% of the Ketilidian, and the most reasonable estimate is 10%. Thus this 1.9-1.7 Ga terrain consisted of 90% new mantle-derived crust.     

Magma sources for Mesozoic anorogenic granites of the White Mountain magma series,New England,USA

The magma sources for granitic intrusions related to the Mesozoic White Mountain magma series in northern New England, USA, are addressed relying principally upon Nd isotopes. Many of these anorogenic complexes lack significant volumes of exposed mafic lithologies and have been suspected of representing crustal melts. Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr isotope systematics are used to evaluate magma sources for 18 felsic plutons with ages ranging from about 120 to 230 Ma. The possibility of crustal sources is further examined with analyses of representative older crust including Paleozoic granitoids which serve as probes of the lower crust in the region. Multiple samples from two representative intrusions are used to address intrapluton initial isotopic heterogeneities and document significant yet restricted variations (<1 in _Nd). Overall, Mesozoic granite plutons range in _Nd [T] from +4.2 to -2.3, with most +2 to 0, and in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.7031 to 0.709. The isotopic variations are roughly inversely correlated but are not obviously related to geologic, geographic, or age differences. Older igneous and metamorphic crust of the region has much lower Nd isotope ratios with the most radiogenic Paleozoic granitoid at _Nd [180 Ma] of -2.8. These data suggest mid-Proterozoic separation of the crust in central northern New England. Moreover, the bulk of the Mesozoic granites cannot be explained as crustal melts but must have large mantle components. The ranges of Nd and Sr isotopes are attributed to incorporation of crust by magmas derived from midly depleted mantle sources. Crustal input may reflect either magma mixing of crustal and mantle melts or crustal assimilation which is the favored interpretation. The results indicate production of anorogenic granites from mantle-derived mafic magmas.     

Non-monotonic chemical and O,Sr, Nd,and Pb isotope zonations and heterogeneity in the mafic- to silicic-composition magma chamber of the Grizzly Peak Tuff,Colorado

Strong compositional zonation of the 34 Ma Grizzly Peak Tuff in west-central Colorado is attended by non-monotonic trends in O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios. Fiamme from the tuff cluster in chemical compositions and petrographic characteristics, indicating the magma chamber was not continuously zoned but consisted of at least seven compositional layers. The most mafic magma erupted (57 wt% SiO₂, fiamme group 7) had ¹⁸O= +8.5, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7099, _Nd, and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=17.80, suggesting that the magma was produced by 50% fractional crystallization of basaltic magma that assimilated 20 to 40 wt% Proterozoic crust. Isotopic compositions of more evolved parts of the chamber (up to 77 wt% SiO₂, fiamme group 1) depart from the mafic base-level composition of fiamme group 7, and reflect late-stage assimilation that occurred largely after compositional layering was established. ¹⁸O values decrease by as much as 1.5 from fiamme groups 7 through 4, indicating assimilation of hydrothermally altered roof rocks. ¹⁸O values abruptly inerease by up to 1.5 between fiamme groups 4 and 3. This discontinuity is interpreted to reflect evolution in an asymmetric chamber that had a split-level roof, allowing assimilation of wall rocks that varied vertically in degree of hydrothermal alteration. This chamber geometry is also supported by collapse structures in the caldera. Late-stage assimilation of heterogeneous wall rocks is also indicated by variations in Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios. Large Sr isotope disequilibrium exists between some phenocrysts and whole-rock fiamme, and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in phenocrysts are as high as 0.7170. values regularly increase from-13.0 in fiamme group 7 to-11.3 in fiamme group 3, and then decrease to-12.2 in fiamme group 1. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios generally increase from 17.80 to 17.94 for fiamme groups 7 through 1. The rhyolitic parts of the Grizzly Peak Tuff have isotopic compositions that could be attributed to a purely crustal melt. It is unlikely, however, that the mafic parts of the tuff were generated by crustal melting, and the compositional and isotopic variations across the entire zonation of the tuff are best explained by fractional crystallization of mantle-derived magmas, accompanied by extensive assimilation of Proterozoic crust.     

Petrology and geochemistry of spinel peridotite xenoliths from the western Pannonian Basin (Hungary): evidence for an association between enrichment and texture in the upper mantle

Twenty spinel peridotite xenoliths from Pliocene alkali basaltic tuffs and lavas of the western Pannonian Basin (Hungary) have been analysed for bulk rock major and trace elements, electron probe mineral compositions, and REE and Sr, Nd isotopes on separated and leached clinopyroxenes. The xenoliths are texturally diverse, including protogranular, porphyroclastic, equigranular and poikilitic textures which can generally be correlated with geochemical features. Protogranular xenoliths are relatively undepleted in Ca, Al, Ti and Na, whereas poikilitic xenoliths are more refractory. LREE-depleted patterns. and MORB-like _Nd and _Sr values are associated with protogranular peridotites. In contrast, xenoliths with complex textures are generally LREE-enriched. Much of the isotopic variation in the suite (_Sr=–20.4 to +10.4, +_Nd=+1.8 to +13.7) can be related to interaction between protogranular mantle and melts resembling the host alkali basalts, but a third (high _Sr) component may be due to Miocene subduction beneath the region.     

Nd- and Sr-isotopic compositions of lavas from the northern Mariana and southern Volcano arcs: implications for the origin of island arc melts

Nd- and Sr-isotopic data are reported for lavas from 23 submarine and 3 subaerial volcanoes in the northern Mariana and southern Volcano arcs. Values of _Nd range from +2.4 to +9.5 whereas ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranges from 0.70319 to 0.70392; these vary systematically between and sometimes within arc segments. The Nd-and Sr-isotopic compositions fall in the field of ocean island basalt (OIB) and extend along the mantle array. Lavas from the Volcano arc, Mariana Central Island Province and the southern part of the Northern Seamount Province have _Nd to +10 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7032 to 0.7039. These are often slightly displaced toward higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr at similar _Nd. In contrast, those lavas from the northern part of the Mariana Northern Seamount Province as far north as Iwo Jima show OIB isotopic characteristics, with _Nd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7035 to 0.7039. Plots of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and _Nd versus Ba/La and (La/Yb)_n support a model in which melts from the Mariana and Volcano arcs are derived by mixing of OIB-type mantle (or melts therefrom) and a metasomatized MORB-type mantle (or melts therefrom). An alternate interpretation is that anomalous trends on the plots of Nd- and Sr-isotopic composition versus incompatible-element ratios, found in some S-NSP lavas, suggest that the addition of a sedimentary component may be locally superimposed on the two-component mixing of mantle end-members.     

Nd and Sr isotopic variations in acidic rocks from Japan: significance of upper-mantle heterogeneity

Initial Nd and Sr isotopic ratios have been measured for Cretaceous acidic and related intermediate rocks (24 volcanic and two plutonic rocks) from the Inner Zone of Southwest Japan (IZSWJ) to investigate the genesis of acidic magmas. The initial Nd and Sr isotopic ratios for these rocks show three interesting features: (1) _Nd values for acidic rocks (+2 to –9) are negatively correlated with _Sr values (+10 to +90) together with those for intermediate rocks ( _Nd=+3 to -8; _Sr=0 to +65). (2) The _Nd values for silica rich rocks (>60% SiO₂) correlate with the longitude of the sample locality, decreasing from west to east in a stepwise fashion: Four areas characterized by uniform _Nd values are discriminated. (3) Low silica rocks (<60% SiO₂) in a certain area have distinctly different _Nd values from those of the high silica rocks in the same area.These results as well as those deduced from the additional samples collected, for comparison, from other provinces in Japan suggest that the acidic rocks can be formed neither by fractional crystallization processes from more basic magmas nor by crustal assimilation processes. The isotopic variations of the acidic rocks may reflect regional isotopic heterogeneity in the lower crust, and this heterogeneity may ultimately be attributed to the regional heterogeneity of the uppermost-mantle beneath the Japanese Islands.     

Isotopic studies of processes in mafic magma chambers: II. The Skaergaard Intrusion,East Greenland

Isotopic ratios of Nd and Sr have been measured in a suite of samples spanning most of the exposed stratigraphy of the Skaergaard intrusion in order to detect and quantify input (such as assimilated wallrock and fresh magma) into the magma chamber during crystallization. Unlike ¹⁸O and D, Nd and Sr isotope ratios do not appear to have been significantly affected by circulation of meteoric waters in the upper part of the intrusion. Variations in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and _Nd suggest that the Skaergaard magma chamber was affected during its crystallization by a small amount (2%–4%) of assimilation of Precambrian gneiss wallrock (high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, low _Nd) and possibly recharge of uncontaminated magma. Decreases in _Nd and increases in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr during the early stages (0%–30%) of crystallization give way to approximately unchanging isotopic ratios through crystallization of the latest-deposited cumulates. Modelling of assimilation-fractional crystallization-recharge processes using these data as constraints shows that the assimilation rate must have been decreasing throughout crystallization. In addition, the isotope data allow replenishment by an amount of uncontaminated magma equal to 20%–30% of the total intrusion mass, occurring either continuously or in pulses over the first 75% of crystallization. Comparison of the recharge models with published Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺) data from Skaergaard cumulates shows that the modelled replenishment rates are not inconsistent with available major element data, although significant recharge during the final 25% of crystallization can be ruled out. The isotope data show that the Skaergaard magma could have incorporated only a small amount of the gneiss that it displaced from the floor of the chamber; assimilation appears to have taken place primarily across a partially molten zone that formed at the roof from the wallrock that was dislodged during emplacement. In the latest stages of crystallization (>75% crystallized), the Skaergaard magma may have become stratified into two separately-convecting layers, effectively insulating Layered Series cumulates from further contamination.     

Timing and origin of midcontinent rift alkaline magmatism,North America: evidence from the Coldwell Complex

The Coldwell Complex represents the largest alkaline intrusion associated with the Midcontinent Rift System in North America. This complex contains a plethora of rock types that have previously been subdivided into three intrusive centers. A detailed U-Pb zircon/baddeleyite age study of five samples indicates that the majority of the complex was emplaced into cold Archean crust at 1108±1 Ma and likely experienced a rapid cooling history. These data, combined with published U-Pb zircon/baddeleyite results for other rift related igneous activity, document the contemporaneous production and emplacement of tholeiitic and alkaline magmas at the onset of rifting. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of selected minerals from different phases of the complex display considerable scatter that is best explained by the presence of magmas with different initial isotopic compositions. The initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions for clinopyroxene and plagioclase from one of the earliest gabbro phases (_Nd=+0.5 to +1.6; _Sr=+2.4 to +3.1) are identical to published data for primitive olivine tholeiites from the rift and indicate that the majority of magmas, both tholeiitic and alkaline, have a uniform, nearly chondritic isotopic composition. This very reproducible isotopic composition for rift magmatism can be explained by the dominance of a well-mixed mantle plume signature in magma genesis. The shift in isotopic compositions observed for the more evolved granite and syenite samples (_Nd=–4.6 to –6.4; _Sr=+10.2 to +13.8) combined with a less radiogenic Pb isotopic signature is consistent with derivation of these magmas from or interaction with an older granulite facies lower crust. The chondritic isotopic signature typical of most MRS volcanic and plutonic rocks is quite distinct from published results on associated carbonatites (_Nd=+2.1 to +4.5; _Sr=–8.0 to 2212;11.5) indicating the presence of at least two distinct subcontinental mantle isotopic reservoirs in this region.     

About the specification of erosion flux for soft stratified cohesive sediments

The present paper deals with the specification of bed erosion flux that accounts for the effects of sediment-induced stratification in the water column. Owing to difficulties in measuring the bed shear stress _b and the erosive shear strength _s, we suggest a series of methods that combine laboratory and numerical experiments. A simplified turbulent transport model that includes these effects helps to quantify _b and _s. Focusing on soft stratified beds, the present study considers erosion rate formulas of the form =_f exp {[T_b-T_s]} where is a model constant (=1 for Gularte's (1978) formula and =1/2 for Parchure's (1984) formula). First, the bed erosive strength profile _s(Z) is adjusted by forcing the turbulent transport model with measured erosion rates. Second, three procedures are suggested to determine the erosion rate formula coefficients _f and : a global procedure and two different layer-by-layer procedures. Each procedure is applied to an erosion experiment conducted in a rotating annular flume by Villaret and Paulic (1986). The use of the layer-by-layer procedure based on a least squares fitting technique provides a closer fit than the global procedure. The present study points out the complementarity of experimental and numerical approaches and also suggests possible improvements in laboratory test procedures.     

Trace-element and Sr,Nd, Pb,and O isotopic composition of Pliocene and Quaternary alkali basalts of the Patagonian Plateau lavas of southernmost South America

The Pliocene and Quaternary Patagonian alkali basalts of southernmost South America can be divided into two groups. The cratonic basalts erupted in areas of Cenozoic plateau volcanism and continental sedimentation and show considerable variation in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70316 to 0.70512), ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (_Nd) and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios (18.26 to 19.38, 15.53 to 15.68, and 38.30 to 39.23, respectively). These isotopic values are within the range of oceanic island basalts, as are the Ba/La, Ba/Nb, La/Nb, K/Rb, and Cs/Rb ratios of the cratonic basalts. In contrast, the transitional basalts, erupted along the western edge of the outcrop belt of the Pliocene and Quaternary plateau lavas in areas that were the locus of earlier Cenozoic Andean orogenic arc colcanism, have a much more restricted range of isotopic composition which can be approximated by ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7039±0.0004, _Nd, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.60±0.08, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.60±0.01, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=38.50±0.10. These isotopic values are similar to those of Andean orogenic are basalts and, compared to the cratonic basalts, are displaced to higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr at a given ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and to higher ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb at a given ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb. The transitional basalts also have Ba/La, Ba/Nb, La/Nb, and Cs/Rb ratios higher than the cratonic and oceanic island basalts, although not as high as Andean orogenic are basalts. In contrast to the radiogenic isotopes, ¹⁸O values for both groups of the Patagonian alkali basalts are indistinguishable and are more restricted than the range reported for Andean orogenic are basalts. Whole rock ¹⁸O values calculated from mineral separates for both groups range from 5.3 to 6.5, while measured whole rock ¹⁸O values range from 5.1 to 7.8. The trace element and isotopic data suggest that decreasing degrees of partial melting in association with lessened significance of subducted slabderived components are fundamental factors in the west to east transition from arc to back-arc volcanism in southern South America. The cratonic basalts do not contain the slab-derived components that impart the higher Ba/La, Ba/Nb, La/Nb, Cs/Rb, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr at a given ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb at a given ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and ¹⁸O to Andean orogenic arc basalts. Instead, these basalts are formed by relatively low degrees of partial melting of heterogeneous lower continental lithosphere and/or asthenosphere, probably due to thermal and mechanical pertubation of the mantle in response to subduction of oceanic lithosphere below the western margin of the continent. The transitional basalts do contain components added to their source region by either (1) active input of slab-derived components in amounts smaller than the contribution to the mantle below the arc and/or with lower Ba/La, Ba/Nb, La/Nb, and Cs/Rb ratios than below the arc due to progressive downdip dehydration of the subducted slab; or (2) subarc source region contamination processes which affected the mantle source of the transitional basalts earlier in the Cenozoic.     

Hf isotope systematics in granitoids from the central and southern Alps

First initial-Hf isotopic compositions for samples from the Alpine domain are presented and discussed. The results are mainly based on zircons and a few whole rocks with ages between 30 and 450 Ma. Of those so far analyzed, the present-day Hf isotopic compositions of zircons from non-metamorphic and metamorphic granitoid rocks vary between 0.2824 and 0.2829. Zircon populations with concordant U-Pb ages have much higher initial ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf than inversely discordant populations which have been contaminated with older zircons containing less radiogenic Hf. Correlated Nd-Hf crustal-residence ages have been found involving model parameters of Hf/Nd=f(Lu/Hf)/f(Sm/Nd) 1.6 for the depleted mantle and f(Lu/Hf)/f(Sm/Nd) 1.2 for elemental fractionations in the crust. The model implies ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf of 0.017 for the bulk crust. It is suggested that the granitoid rocks are the result of mixing of subcontinental mantle-derived magmas with 1.7 Ga old recycled and partially molten crustal material. The continental/mantle component mass-ratio values for the granitoids range between 0.3 and 2.     

Mildly peraluminous high-silica granites in a continental rift: the Drammen and Finnemarka batholiths,Oslo Rift,Norway

The peraluminous Drammen batholith (650 km²) is the largest granite complex within the mainly alkaline province of the Permo-Carboniferous Oslo Rift, and peraluminous to metaluminous granites are also present in the southern part of the otherwise alkaline Finnemarka complex (125 km²). The emplacement of the Drammen granite, and probably most of the other biotite granite complexes, predate the alkaline syenites and granites. The eight separate petrographic types of the Drammen batholith range in SiO₂ from 70 to 79 wt.% and have experienced variable amounts of fractionation of feldspars, biotite, zircon, apatite, titanite and Fe–Ti-oxides. The initial Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic ratios and a decoupling between the variations in the SiO₂ content and the aluminum saturation index [ASI=Al₂O₃/(CaO+Na₂O +K₂O)] show that the various intrusive phases are not strictly comagmatic. The _Nd values of the southern part of Finnemarka (+3.5 to +4) and the northern part of the Drammen granite (+1 to +1.5) are high and indicate insignificant (for Finnemarka) to minor Precambrian crustal or enriched mantle contributions. The very low _Sr values of all of these samples (–1 to –12, outside the main Oslo Rift magmatic array), point to a time integrated Rb-depleted crustal contaminant or an EM1 mantle component. The earliest extruded alkali basalts along the southwestern margin of the Oslo Rift are the only other samples within this low _Sr area, but their isotopic signature may also be linked to a mantle enrichment event (involving an EM1 component), e.g. associated with the Fen carbonatite magmatism 540 Ma ago. For a given ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, the ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios of the Drammen and Finnemarka batholiths are distinctly lower than those of the Skien alkaline volcanics and all other magmatic Oslo Rift rocks. This may indicate that the lithosphere of the central part of the rift had a time integrated Th-depletion. The samples from the southern part of the Drammen batholith, characterized by the presence of abundant miarolitic cavities, have _Nd near 0 (–0.7 to +0.4) but strongly elevated _Sr of +35 to +67. The combined Pb isotopic ratios of all the samples analyzed indicate that the Precambrian crustal anatectic contribution is in the form of time integrated Th-and U-depleted lower crust, and the high +_Sr of the sourthern part of the Drammen granite results from shallow level wallrock assimilation or magma-fluid interactions. The remarkably low contribution of old crustal components to the Finnemarka and the northernmost Drammen batholiths may result from extensive late Precambrian intracustal differentiation in southwestern Scandinavia, leading to widespread upper crustal granites ( 900 Ma) and a correspondingly dense and refractory lower crust, in particular in a zone intersecting the central part of the rift. Liquidus phase relations and mass-balance constrainst permit derivation of the granites from mildly alkaline to tholeiitic melts by extensive crystal fractionation of clinopyroxene-and amphibole-rich assemblages. It is equally possible to form the granitic magmas by partial melting of Permian gabbros of similar composition. Either scenario is consistent with the isotopic constrainst and with the presence of dense cumulates and/or residues in the lower crust. The lack of igneous rocks of intermediate composition associated with the Drammen and Finnemarka batholiths point to an efficient upper crustal density filtering. Considerable amounts of heat would be accumulated in this region if differentiated, intermediate melts could not escape to shallower levels. Successive magma injections would therefore easily result in partial melting of already solidified mafic to intermediate melts and cumulates, and it is suggested that the peraluminous granites formed mainly by water-undersaturated anatexis of mafic material.     

Petrogenesis and paleotectonic history of the Wild Bight Group,an Ordovician rifted island arc in central Newfoundland

The Wild Bight Group (WBG) is a sequence of early and middle Ordovician volcanic, subvolcanic and epiclastic rocks, part of the Dunnage Tectonostratigraphic Zone of the Newfoundland Appalachians. A detailed geochemical and Nd-isotopic study of the volcanic and subvolcanic rocks has been carried out to determine the geochemical characteristics of the rocks, interpret their palcotectonic environments and constrain their petrogenetic history. The lower and central stratigraphic levels of the WBG contain mafic volcanic rocks with island-arc geochemical signatures, including LREE-enriched are tholeiites with _Nd(t) =-0.1 to +2.2 (type A-I), LREE-depleted arc tholeiites with _Nd(t) =+5.6 to +7.1 (type A-II) and an unusual suite of strongly incompatible-element depleted tholeiites in which _Nd(t) ranges from-0.9 to +4.6 and is negatively correlated with¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd (type A-III). High-silica, low-K rhyolites occur locally in the central part of the stratigraphy, associated with mafic rocks of arc affinity, and have _Nd(t) =+4.7 to +5.4. The upper stratigraphic levels of the WBG dominantly contain rocks with non-arc geochemical signatures, including alkalic basalts with _Nd(t) =+4.6 to +5.5 (type N-I), strongly LREE- and incompatible element-enriched tholeiites that are transitional between alkalic and non-alkalic rocks with _Nd(t) =+4.4 to +7.0 (type N-II) and rocks with flat to slightly LREE-enriched patterns and _Nd(t) =+5.1 to +7.4 (type N-III). Rocks with non-arc and arc signatures are locally interbedded near the stratigraphic type of the WBG. Nd-isotopic data in the type A-I and A-II rocks are generally compatible with mixing/partial melting models involving depleted mantle, variably contaminated by a subducted crustally-derived sediment. The petrogenesis of type A-III rocks must involve source mixing and multi-stage partial melting, but the details are not clear. The geochemistry and Nd isotope data for types N-I, N-II and N-III rocks are compatible with petrogenetic models involving variable partial melting of a source similar to that postulated for modern oceanic island basalts. Comparison of the WBG with modern analogues suggests a 3-stage developmental model: stage 1) island-arc volcanism (eruption of type mafic volcancs); stage 2) arc-rifting (continued eruption of type A-I, A-I, eruption of types A-II and A-III mafic volcanics and high-silica, low-K rhyolites); and stage 3) back-arc basin volcanism (continued minor eruption of type A-I basalts, eruption of types N-I, N-II, N-III basalts). Stages 1 and 2 volcanism involved partial melting of subduction contaminated mantle, while stage 3 volcanism utilized depleted-mantle sources not affected by the subducting slab. This model provides a basis for interpreting coeval sequences in central Newfoundland and a comparative framework for some early Paleozoic oceanic volcanic sequences elsewhere in the Appalachian orogen.     

Sr-Nd isotopic constraints on the petrogenesis of the Central Bohemian Pluton,Czech Republic

The Sr-Nd isotopic data for selected granitoids of the Central Bohemian Pluton show a broad negative correlation with the total range of (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₃₃₀ = 0.7051–0.7129 and _Nd ³³⁰ = +0.2 to –8.9. The older intrusions have more depleted Sr-Nd compositions and calc-alkaline geochemistry (Sázava suite), whereas the younger intrusions shift towards K-rich calc-alkaline (Blatná suite) and shoshonitic rocks (íany and ertovo bemeno suites) with more evolved isotopic signatures. The distribution of the data is interpreted as reflecting a diversity of sources and processes, rather than a single progressive crustal contamination trend. The Sázava suite could have originated by partial melting of metabasites, or of a mantle source with an isotopic composition close to bulk earth, or by hybridization of crustally-derived tonalitic and mantle-derived magmas. Variation within the Blatná suite is modelled by mixing between a moderately enriched [(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₃₃₀ 0.708, _Nd ³³⁰ –3] mantle component with either an isotopically evolved metasedimentary component, or with more evolved magmas of the suite. The íany suite was most probably produced by partial melting of peraluminous lithologies, possibly of the adjacent Moldanubian unit. The ertovo bemeno suite evolved from strongly enriched mantle-derived magmas [(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₃₃₀0.7128, _Nd ³³⁰ –7], either through closed-system fractional crystallization or interaction with magma corresponding to leucogranites of the Central Bohemian Pluton.     

Meta-igneous granulite xenoliths from Mount Ruapehu,New Zealand: Fragments of altered oceanic crust?

Meta-igneous granulite (MIG) xenoliths in lavas from Mount Ruapehu, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, have variable but relatively high ¹⁸O (+8.2 to +11.7) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70506 to 0.70872), and _Nd ranging from +1.5 to +6.2. They show a strong positive correlation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁸O, both of which are also broadly correlated with Mg number, but lack any correlation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and _Nd. The xenoliths have been mineralogically re-equilibrated at lower-crustal temperatures (800–930°C) and pressures (7–10 kbar). Geochemical and isotopic evidence suggests they are fragments of oceanic crust that have been altered previously in an ocean floor hydrothermal system. Alternatively, they may be igneous rocks of unknown origin hydrothermally altered in the lower crust. Irrespective of this uncertainty, the xenoliths provide rare samples of the lower crustal basement beneath Taupo Volcanic Zone and represent a potential source rock for the voluminous rhyolites and ignimbrites that dominate the zone.     

Two-stage contamination during crustal assimilation: isotopic evidence from volcanic rocks in eastern Nevada

Thousands of cubic kilometers of dominantly intermediate composition, metaluminous magma erupted at approximately 35 Ma in eastern Nevada. Two stages of crustal contamination are inferred from detailed study of the earliest vocanic rocks. Fine-grained mafic rocks and rocks with mixed textures, ranging from basalt to rhyolite, were contaminated with a crustal component rich in Nd but poor in Sr. Overlying plagioclaserich andesites and dacites have greater Sr and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, but less Nd and lower _Nd and are interpreted to have been contaminated by a crustal component with the opposite elemental signature (i.e., poor in Nd but rich in Sr). The first contaminant represents a partial melt of the crust with plagioclase as a residual phase and the second contaminant is the residue of the partial melting event, or bulk crust. The net effect is bulk crustal assimilation, but in two bites. The separation of the crustal souree into two elementally distinct contaminants causes divergent trends with respect to the variation of ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr versus _Nd that could be misinterpreted to indicate the existence of isotopically distinct crustal reservoirs. Comparison of the calculated contaminants to melting relationships in pelites is consistent with the two contammants representing melt and residue at about 30% melting. The model age of the bulk crust is approximately 2.2 Ga, consistent with an early Proterozoic crustal province inferred by other workers.