Layered mantle at the Karelian Craton margin: P–T of mantle xenocrysts and xenoliths from the Kaavi–Kuopio kimberlites, Finland

Peridotitic clinopyroxene (cpx) and pyrope garnet xenocrysts from four kimberlite pipes in the Kaavi–Kuopio area of Eastern Finland have been studied using major and trace element geochemistry to obtain information on the vertical compositional variability of the underlying mantle. The xenocryst data, when combined with the petrological constraints provided by peridotite xenoliths, yield a relatively complete section through the lithospheric mantle. Single-grain cpx thermobarometry fits with a 36-mW/m² geotherm calculated using heat flow constraints and xenolith modes and geophysical properties. Ni thermometry on pyrope xenocrysts gives 700–1350 °C and, based on the cpx xenocryst/xenolith geotherm, indicates a wide sampling interval, ca. 80–230 km. Plotting pyrope major and trace element compositions as a function of temperature shows there are three distinct layers in the local lithospheric mantle:

(1) A low-temperature (<850 °C) harzburgite layer distinguished by Ca-rich but Ti-, Y- and Zr-depleted pyropes. The xenoliths originating from this layer are all fine-grained garnet-spinel harzburgites with secondary cpx.

(2) A variably depleted lherzolitic, harzburgitic and wehrlitic horizon from 950 to 1150 °C or 130 to 180 km.

(3) A deep layer from 180 to 240 km composed largely of fertile material.

The peridotitic diamond window at Kaavi–Kuopio stretches from the top of the diamond stability field at 140 km to the base of the harzburgite-bearing mantle at about 180 km, implying a roughly 40-km-wide prospective zone.     

Ferropericlase—a lower mantle phase in the upper mantle

Experiments on compositions along the join MgO–NaA³⁺Si₂O₆ (A=Al, Cr, Fe³⁺) show that sodium can be incorporated into ferropericlase at upper mantle pressures in amounts commonly found in natural diamond inclusions. These results, combined with the observed mineral parageneses of several diamond inclusion suites, establish firmly that ferropericlase exists in the upper mantle in regions with low silica activity. Such regions may be carbonated dunite or stalled and degassed carbonatitic melts. Ferropericlase as an inclusion in diamond on its own is not indicative of a lower mantle origin or of a deep mantle plume. Coexisting phases have to be taken into consideration to decide on the depth of origin. The composition of olivine will indicate an origin from the upper mantle or border of the transition zone to the lower mantle and whether it coexisted with ferropericlase in the upper mantle or as ringwoodite. The narrow and flat three phase loop at the border transition zone—lower mantle together with hybrid peridotite plus eclogite/sediments provides an explanation for the varying and Fe-rich nature of the diamond inclusion suite from Sao Luiz, Brazil.     

Komatiites of the Onverwacht Group,S. Africa: REE geochemistry,Sm/Nd age and mantle evolution

Komatiites of the Tjakastad Subgroup of the Onverwacht Group (S. Africa) were dated by the Sm/Nd method. A whole-rock isochron yields an age of 3.56±0.24 (2) AE, with initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio of 0.50818±23 (2), corresponding to _Nd(T)= + 1.9±4.5. This age is interpreted as the time of initial Onverwacht volcanism. This result agrees with earlier Sm/Nd data of Hamilton et al. (1979) and is consistent with the Rb-Sr result of Jahn and Shih (1974).Komatiites may be divided into 3 groups based on the typology of heavy REE distributions (Jahn and Gruau 1981). According to this scheme, the Onverwacht komatiites of the present study belong to two groups: the predominant Group II rocks showing (Gd/Yb)_N1.4, CaO/Al₂O₃ = 1.33, Al₂O₃/TiO₂10.6; and the subordinate Group III rocks with (Gd/Yb)_N<1.0; CaO/Al₂O₃0.6 and A1₂O₃/ TiO₂40. This contrasting feature is best explained by garnet fractionation within the mantle sources.Younger komatiites (2.7 AE) from Finland, Canada, Rhodesia, and Australia have (Gd/Yb)_N1.0, CaO/ Al₂O₃<1.1 and Al₂O₃/TiO₂21 based on 58 analyses. These ratios are nearly chondritic or of the bulk earth value (Anders 1977). It appears that some late Archean komatiites are different in chemistry from many early Archean komatiites. This may imply that the upper mantle chemistry has evolved through Archean times. However, the age connotation of the chemical parameters, such as CaO/Al₂O₃, (Gd/Yb)_N or Al₂O₃/TiO₂ ratio has not been firmly established. The characteristic high CaO/Al₂O₃ or (Gd/Yb)_N ratios in many Onverwacht Group rocks can also be explained as a result of local short-term mantle heterogeneity.     

Carbonatite melt–CO2 fluid inclusions in mantle xenoliths from Tenerife, Canary Islands: a story of trapping, immiscibility and fluid–rock interaction in the upper mantle

Three types of fluid inclusions have been identified in olivine porphyroclasts in the spinel harzburgite and lherzolite xenoliths from Tenerife: pure CO₂ (Type A); carbonate-rich CO₂–SO₂ mixtures (Type B); and polyphase inclusions dominated by silicate glass±fluid±sp±silicate±sulfide±carbonate (Type C). Type A inclusions commonly exhibit a “coating” (a few microns thick) consisting of an aggregate of a platy, hydrous Mg–Fe–Si phase, most likely talc, together with very small amounts of halite, dolomite and other phases. Larger crystals (e.g. (Na,K)Cl, dolomite, spinel, sulfide and phlogopite) may be found on either side of the “coating”, towards the wall of the host mineral or towards the inclusion center. These different fluids were formed through the immiscible separations and fluid–wall-rock reactions from a common, volatile-rich, siliceous, alkaline carbonatite melt infiltrating the upper mantle beneath the Tenerife. First, the original siliceous carbonatite melt is separated from a mixed CO₂–H₂O–NaCl fluid and a silicate/silicocarbonatite melt (preserved in Type A inclusions). The reaction of the carbonaceous silicate melt with the wall-rock minerals gave rise to large poikilitic orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene grains, and smaller neoblasts. During the metasomatic processes, the consumption of the silicate part of the melt produced carbonate-enriched Type B CO₂–SO₂ fluids which were trapped in exsolved orthopyroxene porphyroclasts. At the later stages, the interstitial silicate/silicocarbonatite fluids were trapped as Type C inclusions. At a temperature above 650 °C, the mixed CO₂–H₂O–NaCl fluid inside the Type A inclusions were separated into CO₂-rich fluid and H₂O–NaCl brine. At T<650 °C, the residual silicate melt reacted with the host olivine, forming a reaction rim or “coating” along the inclusion walls consisting of talc (or possibly serpentine) together with minute crystals of NaCl, KCl, carbonates and sulfides, leaving a residual CO₂ fluid. The homogenization temperatures of +2 to +25 °C obtained from the Type A CO₂ inclusions reflect the densities of the residual CO₂ after its reactions with the olivine host, and are unrelated to the initial fluid density or the external pressure at the time of trapping. The latter are restricted by the estimated crystallization temperatures of 1000–1200 °C, and the spinel lherzolite phase assemblage of the xenolith, which is 0.7–1.7 GPa.     

Melting of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle by the Emeishan mantle plume; evidence from the basal alkaline basalts in Dongchuan, Yunnan, Southwestern China

The Emeishan continental flood basalt (ECFB) sequence in Dongchuan, SW China comprises a basal tephrite unit overlain by an upper tholeiitic basalt unit. The upper basalts have high TiO₂ contents (3.2–5.2 wt.%), relatively high rare-earth element (REE) concentrations (40 to 60 ppm La, 12.5 to 16.5 ppm Sm, and 3 to 4 ppm Yb), moderate Zr/Nb and Nb/La ratios (9.3–10.2 and 0.6–0.9, respectively) and relatively high _{Nd (t)} values, ranging from − 0.94 to 2.3, and are comparable to the high-Ti ECFB elsewhere. The tephrites have relatively high P₂O₅ (1.3–2.0 wt.%), low REE concentrations (e.g., 17 to 23 ppm La, 4 to 5.3 ppm Sm, and 2 to 3 ppm Yb), high Nb/La (2.0–3.9) ratios, low Zr/Nb ratios (2.3–4.2), and extremely low _{Nd (t)} values (mostly ranging from − 10.6 to − 11.1). The distinct compositional differences between the tephrites and the overlying tholeiitic basalts cannot be explained by either fractional crystallization or crustal contamination of a common parental magma. The tholeiitic basalts formed by partial melting of the Emeishan plume head at a depth where garnet was stable, perhaps > 80 km. We propose that the tephrites were derived from magmas formed when the base of the previously metasomatized, volatile-mineral bearing subcontinental lithospheric mantle was heated by the upwelling mantle plume.     

Metasomatism of the Pan-African lithospheric mantle beneath the Damara Belt,Namibia, by the Tristan mantle plume: geochemical evidence from mantle xenoliths

In situ trace element analyses of constituent minerals in mantle xenoliths occurring in an alnöite diatreme and in nephelinite plugs emplaced within the central zone of the Damara Belt have been determined by laser ablation ICP-MS. Primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns of clinopyroxene and amphibole indicate the presence of both depleted MORB-like mantle and variably enriched mantle beneath this region. Clinopyroxenes showing geochemical depletion have low La/Sm_n ratios (0.02–0.2), whereas those showing variable enrichment have La/Sm_n ranging up to 3.8 and La/Yb_n to 9.1. The most enriched clinopyroxenes coexist with amphibole showing similar REE patterns (La/Sm_n = 1.3–4.1; La/Yb_n = 4.5–9). Primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns allow further groups to be distinguished amongst the variably enriched clinopyroxenes: one having strong relative depletion in Rb–Ba, Ta–Nb and relative enrichment in Th–U; another with similar characteristics but with additional strong relative depletion in Zr–Hf; and one showing no significant anomalies. Amphiboles show similar normalized trace element patterns to co-existing clinopyroxene. Clinopyroxene and amphiboles showing LREE_N enrichment have high Sr and low Nd isotope ratios compared to clinopyroxene with LREE-depleted patterns. Numerical simulation of melt percolation through the mantle via reactive porous flow is used to show that the chromatographic affect associated with such a melt migration process is able to account for the fractionation seen in La–Ce–Nd in cryptically metasomatized clinopyroxenes in Type 1 xenoliths, where melt–matrix interactions occur near the percolation front, whereas REE patterns in clinopyroxenes proximal to the source of metasomatic melt/fluid match those found in modally metasomatized Type 2 xenoliths. The strong fractionation between Rb–Ba, Th–U and Ta–Nb shown by some cryptically metasomatized xenoliths can be also accounted for by reactive porous flow, provided amphibole crystallizes from the percolating melt/fluid close to its source. The presence of amphibole in vein-like structures in some xenoliths is consistent with this interpretation. The strong depletion in Zr–Hf in clinopyroxene and amphibole in some xenoliths cannot be accounted for by melt migration processes and requires metasomatism by a separate carbonate-rich melt/fluid. When taken together with published isotope data on these same xenoliths, the source of metasomatic enrichment of the previously depleted (MORB-like) sub-Damaran lithospheric mantle is attributed to the upwelling Tristan plume head at the time of continental breakup.     

Composition of aqueous fluid coexisting with mantle minerals at high pressure and its bearing on the differentiation of the Earth’s mantle

In order to understand the role of aqueous fluid on the differentiation of the mantle, the compositions of aqueous fluids coexisting with mantle minerals were investigated in the system MgO-SiO₂-H₂O at pressures of 3 to 10 GPa and temperatures of 1000 to 1500°C with an MA8-type multianvil apparatus. Phase boundaries between the stability fields of forsterite + aqueous fluid, forsterite + enstatite + aqueous fluid, and enstatite + aqueous fluid were determined by varying the bulk composition at constant temperature and pressure. The composition of aqueous fluid coexisting with forsterite and enstatite can be defined by the intersection of these two phase boundaries. The solubility of silicate components in aqueous fluid coexisting with forsterite and enstatite increases with increasing pressure up to 8 GPa, from about 30 wt% at 3 GPa to about 70 wt% at 8 GPa. It becomes almost constant above 8 GPa. The Mg/Si weight ratio of these aqueous fluids is much higher than at low pressure (0.2 at 1.5 GPa) and almost constant (1.2) at pressures between 3 and 8 GPa. At 10 GPa, it becomes about 1.4. Aqueous fluid migrating upward through the mantle can therefore dissolve large amounts of silicates, leaving modified Mg/Si ratios of residual materials. It is suggested that the chemical stratification of Mg/Si in the Earth may have been formed as a result of aqueous fluid migration.     

吉林省伊通地区橄榄岩包体的同位素特征与岩石圈地幔时代

吉林省伊通新生代火山群中大孤山所伴生的东小山火山含有丰富的地幔橄榄岩包体,详细的岩石学和矿物学工作显示,这些包体的主要岩石类型为尖晶石二辉橄榄岩,含有少量的方辉橄榄岩和异剥橄榄岩。包体的结构类型多样,包括粒状变晶结构、碎斑状结构、糜棱结构和筛状变晶结构。主量元素及矿物化学资料表明,这些地幔橄榄岩包体大都比较饱满,说明其所经历的部分熔融程度较低。微量元素显示,包体在形成以后经受过不同程度地幔交代作用的影响。矿物平衡温度计算结果表明包体的平衡温度为989～1142℃,来源深度约为40～70km。Sr-Nd-Hf同位素资料反映二辉橄榄岩包体具有亏损地幔的特征。Re-Os同位素资料显示上述岩石圈地幔的主体形成于显生宙期间,少量具有中元古代Re亏损年龄的样品所代表的古老地幔与本区上覆地壳成因无关,可能是软流圈中固有的较古老的大陆岩石圈地幔。     

Structure, mineralogy and dynamics of the lowermost mantle

The 2004-discovery of the post-perovskite transition initiated a vigorous effort in high-pressure, high-temperature mineralogy and mineral physics, seismology and geodynamics aimed at an improved understanding of the structure and dynamics of the D"-zone. The phase transitions in basaltic and peridotitic lithologies under pT-conditions of the lowermost mantle can explain a series of previously enigmatic seismic discontinuities. Some of the other seismic properties of the lowermost mantle are also consistent with the changes in physical properties related to the perovskite (pv) to post-perovskite (ppv) transition. After more than 25 years of seismic tomography, the lowermost mantle structure involving the sub-Pacific and sub-African Large Low Shear-Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) has become a robust feature. The two large antipodal LLSVPs are surrounded by wide zones of high Vs under the regions characterized by Mesozoic to recent subduction. The D" is further characterized by a negative correlation between shear and bulk sound velocity which could be partly related to an uneven distribution of pv and ppv. Ppv has higher VS and lower $ V_{\Phi } $ (bulk sound speed) than pv and may be present in thicker layers in the colder regions of D". Seismic observations and geodynamic modelling indicate relatively steep and sharp boundaries of the 200-500 km thick LLSVPs. These features, as well as independent evidence for their long-term stability, indicate that they are intrinsically denser than the surrounding mantle. Mineral physics data demonstrate that basaltic lithologies are denser than peridotite throughout the lowermost mantle and undergo incremental densification due to the pvppv- transition at slightly shallower levels than peridotite. The density contrasts may facilitate the partial separation and accumulation of basaltic patches and slivers at the margins of the thermochemical piles (LLSVPs). The slopes of these relatively steep margins towards the adjacent horizontal core-mantle boundary (CMB) constitute a curved (concave) thermal boundary layer, favourable for the episodic generation of large mantle plumes. Reconstruction of the original positions of large igneous provinces formed during the last 300 Ma, using a paleomagnetic global reference frame, indicates that nearly all of them erupted above the margins of the LLSVPs. Fe/Mg-partitioning between pv, ppv and ferropericlase (fp) is important for the phase and density relations of the lower mantle. Electronic spin transition of Fe2+ and Fe3+ in the different phases may influence the Fe/Mg-partitioning and the radiative thermal conductivity in the lowermost mantle. The experimental determination of the $ {K_D}{^{Fe/Mg}_{pv/fp}}\left[ { = {{\left( {Fe/Mg} \right)}_{pv}}/{{\left( {Fe/Mg} \right)}_{fp}}} \right] $ and $ {K_D}{^{Fe/Mg}_{ppv/fp}} $ is technologically challenging. Most studies have found a $ {K_D}{^{Fe/Mg}_{pv/fp}} $ of 0.1-0.3 and a higher Fe/Mg-ratio in ppv than in pv. The experimental temperature is important, with the partitioning approaching unity with increasing temperature. Although charge-coupled substitutions of the trivalent cations Al and Fe³⁺ seem to be important in both pv and ppv (especially in basaltic compositions), the complicating crystal-chemistry effects of these cations are not fully clarified. The two anti-podal thermochemical piles as well as the thin ultra-low velocity zones next to the CMB may represent geochemically enriched reservoirs that have remained largely isolated from the convecting mantle through a major part of Earth history. The existence of such “hidden” reservoirs have previously been suggested in order to account for the imbalance between the inferred composition of the geochemically accessible convecting mantle and the observed heat flow from the Earth and chondritic models for the bulk Earth.     

Strain localisation in the subcontinental mantle — a ductile alternative to the brittle mantle

It is now admitted that the high strength of the subcontinental uppermost mantle controls the first order strength of the lithosphere. An incipient narrow continental rift therefore requires an important weakening in the subcontinental mantle to promote lithosphere-scale strain localisation and subsequent continental break-up. Based on the classical rheological layering of the continental lithosphere, the origin of a lithospheric mantle shear/fault zone has been attributed to the existence of a brittle uppermost mantle. However, the lack of mantle earthquakes and the absence of field occurrences in the mantle fault zone led to the idea of a ductile-related weakening mechanism, instead of brittle-related, for the incipient mantle strain localisation. In order to provide evidence for this mechanism, we investigated the microstructures and lattice preferred orientations of mantle rocks in a kilometre-scale ductile strain gradient in the Ronda Peridotites (Betics cordillera, Spain). Two main features were shown: 1) grain size reduction by dynamic recrystallisation is found to be the only relevant weakening mechanism responsible for strain localisation and 2), with increasing strain, grain size reduction is coeval with both the scattering of orthopyroxene neoblasts and the decrease of the olivine fabric strength (LPO). These features allow us to propose that grain boundary sliding (GBS) partly accommodates dynamic recrystallisation and subsequent grain size reduction.A new GBS-related experimental deformation mechanism, called dry-GBS creep, has been shown to accommodate grain size reduction during dynamic recrystallisation and to induce significant weakening at low temperatures (T < 800 °C). The present microstructural study demonstrates the occurrence of the grain size sensitive dry-GBS creep in natural continental peridotites and allows us to propose a new rheological model for the subcontinental mantle. During dynamic recrystallisation, the accommodation of grain size reduction by three competing deformation mechanisms, i.e., dislocation, diffusion and dry-GBS creeps, involves a grain size reduction controlled by the sole dislocation creep at high temperatures (> 800 °C), whereas dislocation creep and dry-GBS creep, are the accommodating mechanisms at low temperatures (< 800 °C). Consequently, weakening is very limited if the grain size reduction occurs at temperatures higher than 800 °C, whereas a large weakening is expected in lower temperatures. This large weakening related to GBS creep would occur at depths lower than 60 km and therefore provides an explanation for ductile strain localisation in the uppermost continental mantle, thus providing an alternative to the brittle mantle.     

Constancy of Nb/U in the mantle revisited

It has long been proposed that MORB and OIB have constant supra-primitive mantle (PM) Nb/U values identical to each other. This fact together with complementary sub-PM values for the continental crust (CC), are taken as fundamental evidence, linking the mantle sources of MORB and OIB to the formation of the CC. Given that plate subduction at convergent margins is the major known process that dramatically fractionates Nb from U, and consequently that subducted oceanic slabs are the main primary carriers of supra-PM Nb/U, a constant supra-PM Nb/U in MORB mantle implies that the mixing of subducted oceanic crust is essentially finished or the newly recycled oceanic crust has Nb/U close to that of the mantle. The similarity between Nb and U as well as the constancy of Nb/U in MORB are revisited here based on MORB glass data obtained using laser ablation ICP-MS. The result shows that Nb/U is not correlated with Nb/Hf, supporting that Nb and U are similarly incompatible. Further investigation shows that Nb is not perfectly identical to, but is faintly more incompatible than U as indicated by the good correlation between log(U) and log(Nb) with a slope of 0.954, very close to 1. Nonetheless, the similarity between Nb and U is high enough, such that the average Nb/U value of MORB glasses should be very close to that of the MORB mantle. By contrast, the difference between Ce and Pb is more obvious. Ce is more incompatible than Pb with a slope of 1.13 in a log(Pb) versus log(Ce) diagram. Therefore, the Ce/Pb of MORB should be a little bit higher than that of the mantle source. The Nb/U value is not as uniform as expected for the similar incompatibility in studied MORB glasses, but varies by a factor of ∼2, suggesting that MORB mantle source is not yet homogenized in term of Nb/U. This indicates that the mixing back of subducted oceanic crust is still an ongoing process, i.e., subducted oceanic crust is recycling back after staying in the lower mantle for billions of years.     

The geochemistry of the volatile trace elements As, Cd, Ga, In and Sn in the Earth’s mantle: New evidence from in situ analyses of mantle xenoliths

The abundances of 30 trace elements, including the volatile chalcophile/siderophile elements As, Cd, Ga, In and Sn were determined by laser ablation ICP-MS in minerals of 19 anhydrous and 5 hydrous spinel peridotite xenoliths from three continents. The majority of samples were fertile lherzolites with more than 5% clinopyroxene; several samples have major element compositions close to estimates of the primitive mantle. All samples have been previously analysed for bulk-rock major, minor and lithophile trace elements. They cover a wide range of equilibration temperatures from about 850 to 1250 °C and a pressure range from 0.8 to 3.0 GPa. A comparison of results from bulk-rock analyses with concentrations obtained from combining silicate and oxide mineral data with modal mineralogy, gave excellent agreement, with the exception of As. Arsenic is the only element analysed that has high concentrations in sulphides. For all other elements sulphides can be neglected as host phases in these mantle rocks. The major host phase for Cd, In and Sn is clinopyroxene and if present, amphibole. Cadmium and In appear to behave moderately incompatibly during mantle melting similar to Yb.The data yield new and more reliable mantle abundances for Cd (35 ± 7 ppb), In (18 ± 3 ppb) and Sn (91 ± 28 ppb). The In value is similar to the Mg and CI-normalized Zn abundance of the mantle, although In is cosmochemically more volatile than Zn. The high In content suggests a high content of volatile elements in general in proto-Earth material. The lower relative abundances of volatile chalcophile elements such as Cd, S, Se and Te might be explained by sulphide segregation during core formation. The very low relative abundances of volatile and highly incompatible lithophile elements such as Br, Cl and I, and also C, N and rare gases, imply loss during Earth accretion, arguably by collisional erosion from differentiated planetesimals and protoplanets.     

High-precision Nd/Nd measurements in terrestrial rocks: Constraints on the early differentiation of the Earth’s mantle

We present new ultra-high precision ¹⁴²Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd measurements of early Archaean rocks using the new generation thermal ionization mass spectrometer Triton. Repeated measurements of the Ames Nd standard demonstrate that the ¹⁴²Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio can be determined with external precision of 2 ppm (2σ), allowing confident resolution of anomalies as small as 5 ppm. A major analytical improvement lies in the elimination of the double normalization procedure required to correct our former measurements from a secondary mass fractionation effect. Our new results indicate that metasediments, metabasalts, and orthogneisses from the 3.6 to 3.8 Ga West Greenland craton display positive ¹⁴²Nd anomalies ranging from 8 to 15 ppm. Using a simple two-stage model with an initial ε¹⁴³Nd value of 1.9 ± 0.6 ε-units, coupled ¹⁴⁷Sm-¹⁴³Nd and ¹⁴⁶Sm-¹⁴²Nd chronometry constrains mantle differentiation to 50-200 Ma after formation of the solar system. This chronological constraint is consistent with differentiation of the Earth’s mantle during the late stage of crystallization of a magma ocean. We have developed a two-box model describing ¹⁴²Nd and ¹⁴³Nd isotopic evolution of depleted mantle during the subsequent evolution of the crust-mantle system. Our results indicate that early terrestrial protocrust had a lifetime of ca. 0.7-1 Ga in order to produce the observed Nd isotope signature of Archaean rocks. In the context of this two box mantle-crust system, we model the evolution of isotopic and chemical heterogeneity of depleted mantle as a function of the mantle stirring time. Using the dispersion of ¹⁴²Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios observed in early Archaean rocks, we constrain the stirring time of early Earth’s mantle to 100-250 Ma, a factor of 5 shorter than the stirring time inferred from modern oceanic basalts.     

CaAl ratio and composition of the Earth's upper mantle

Undifferentiated meteorites (chondrites) have the same relative abundances of refractory lithophile elements (Ca, Al, Ti, Sc, REE, etc.), despite variable absolute concentrations. The reasonable assumption of chondritic ratios among refractory elements in the bulk Earth is used to constrain the chemical composition of the upper mantle in the following way: Correlations of the compatible refractory elements Ca, Al, Ti, Sc and Yb with MgO are worldwide very similar in suites of spinel-lherzolite xenoliths from basaltic rocks. Such suites represent upper mantle material depleted to differing degrees by extraction of partial melts. From these refractory elements vs. MgO correlations, ratios of pairs of refractory elements were calculated at various MgO contents. Chondritic $\text{Al}\text{Ti}$ and $\text{Sc}\text{Ti}$ ratios were only obtained for MgO contents below 36%. A chrondritic $\text{Sc}\text{Yb}$ ratio requires an MgO content above 35%. We therefore accept 35.5% as the most reasonable MgO content of undepleted upper mantle. This MgO content is slightly below the spinel-lherzolite with the lowest measured MgO content (36.22%). The corresponding Al₂O₃ content of 4.75% is higher than in previous estimates of upper mantle composition. The concentrations of other elements were obtained from similar correlations at a MgO content of 35.5%. The resulting present upper mantle composition is enriched in refractory elements by a factor of 1.49 relative to Si and Cl and by a factor of 1.12 for Mg relative to Si and Cl. These enrichments are in the same range as those for the Vigarano type carbonaceous chondrites. The Mg/Mg + Fe ratio of 89 is slightly lower than previous estimates.The $\text{Ca}\text{Al}$ ratio in spinel lherzolite suites is, however, uniformly higher worldwide than the chondritic ratio by about 15%. Orogenic peridotites as well as komatiites appear to have similar non-chondritic $\text{Ca}\text{Al}$ ratios. It is therefore suggested that this non-chondritic $\text{Ca}\text{Al}$ ratio is a characteristic of the upper mantle, possibly since the Archean. A minor fractionation of about 4% of garnet in an early, global melting event (deep magma ocean?) is presented as the most likely cause for the high $\text{Ca}\text{Al}\text{-}\text{ratio}$. In this case the addition of 4% of such a garnet component to the undepleted present upper mantle would be required to obtain the composition of the primordial upper mantle. The $\text{Ca}\text{Al}\text{-}\text{ratio}$ of this primordial mantle would be 15% higher than that of the undepleted present upper mantle, resulting in an enrichment of refractory elements of 1.70 ($\text{Al}\text{Si}$ relative to Cl) for the primordial upper mantle.     

Possible mantle phase transitions by the formation of SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> peroxides: Implications for mantle convection

On the basis of quantum–chemical calculations of the linear to isomeric bent transition of the SiO₂ molecule, it is suggested that the bent to linear transition of SiO₂ forms can occur in melted mantle minerals of the lower mantle. This may be important for the formation of the peculiarities of mantle convection and origination of plumes.     

Stagnant lids and mantle overturns:Implications for Archaean tectonics,magmagenesis,crustal growth,mantle evolution,and the start of plate tectonics

The lower plate is the dominant agent in modern convergent margins characterized by active subduction,as negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere sinks into the asthenosphere under its own weight.This is a strong plate-driving force because the slab-pull force is transmitted through the stiff sub-oceanic lithospheric mantle.As geological and geochemical data seem inconsistent with the existence of modernstyle ridges and arcs in the Archaean,a periodically-destabilized stagnant-lid crust system is proposed instead.Stagnant-lid intervals may correspond to periods of layered mantle convection where efficient cooling was restricted to the upper mantle,perturbing Earth's heat generation/loss balance,eventually triggering mantle overturns.Archaean basalts were derived from fertile mantle in overturn upwelling zones(OUZOs),which were larger and longer-lived than post-Archaean plumes.Early cratons/continents probably formed above OUZOs as large volumes of basalt and komatiite were delivered for protracted periods,allowing basal crustal cannibalism,garnetiferous crustal restite delamination,and coupled development of continental crust and sub-continental lithospheric mantle.Periodic mixing and rehomogenization during overturns retarded development of isotopically depleted MORB(mid-ocean ridge basalt)mantle.Only after the start of true subduction did sequestration of subducted slabs at the coremantle boundary lead to the development of the depleted MORB mantle source.During Archaean mantle overturns,pre-existing continents located above OUZOs would be strongly reworked;whereas OUZOdistal continents would drift in response to mantle currents.The leading edge of drifting Archaean continents would be convergent margins characterized by terrane accretion,imbrication,subcretion and anatexis of unsubductable oceanic lithosphere.As Earth cooled and the background oceanic lithosphere became denser and stiffer,there would be an increasing probability that oceanic crustal segments could founder in an organized way,producing a gradual evolution of pre-subduction convergent margins into modern-style active subduction systems around 2.5 Ga.Plate tectonics today is constituted of:(1)a continental drift system that started in the Early Archaean,driven by deep mantle currents pressing against the Archaean-age sub-continental lithospheric mantle keels that underlie Archaean cratons;(2)a subduction-driven system that started near the end of the Archaean.     

Imaging of Vp, Vs, and Poisson’s ratio anomalies beneath Kyushu, southwest Japan: Implications for volcanism and forearc mantle wedge serpentinization

We determine detailed 3-D V_p and V_s structures of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Kyushu Island, southwest Japan, using a large number of arrival times from local earthquakes. From the obtained V_p and V_s models, we further calculate Poisson’s ratio images beneath the study area. By using this large data set, we successfully image the 3-D seismic velocity and Poisson’s ratio structures beneath Kyushu down to a depth of 150 km with a more reliable spatial resolution than previous studies. Our results show very clear low V_p and low V_s anomalies in the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the northern volcanoes, such as Abu, Kujyu and Unzen. Low-velocity anomalies are seen in the mantle beneath most other volcanoes. In contrast, there are no significant low-velocity anomalies in the crust or in the upper mantle between Aso and Kirishima. The subducting Philippine Sea slab is imaged generally as a high-velocity anomaly down to a depth of 150 km with some patches of normal to low seismic wave velocities. The Poisson’s ratio is almost normal beneath most volcanoes. The crustal seismicity is distributed in both the high- and low-velocity zones, but most distinctly in the low Poisson’s ratio zone. A high Poisson’s ratio region is found in the forearc crustal wedge above the slab in the junction area with Shikoku and Honshu; this high Poisson’s ratio could be caused by fluid-filled cracks induced by dehydration from the Philippine Sea slab. The Poisson’s ratio is normal to low in the forearc mantle in middle-south Kyushu. This is consistent with the absence of low-frequency tremors, and may indicate that dehydration from the subducting crust is not vigorous in this region.