Rapid Temporal Changes in Ocean Island Basalt Composition: Evidence from an 800 m Deep Drill Hole in Eiao Shield (Marquesas)

The Dominique drill hole has penetrated the volcanic shieldof Eiao island (Marquesas) down to a depth of 800 m below thesurface and 691•5 m below sea-level with a percentage ofrecovery close to 100%. All the lavas encountered were emplacedunder subaerial conditions. From the bottom to the top are distinguished:quartz and olivine tholeiites (800–686 m), hawaiites,mugearites and trachyte (686–415 m), picritic basalts,olivine tholeiites and alkali basalts (415–0 m). The coredvolcanic pile was emplaced between 5•560•07 Ma and5•220•06 Ma. Important chemical changes occurred during this rather shorttime span (0•34 0•13 Ma). In particular, the lowerbasalts differ from the upper ones in their lower concentrationsof incompatible trace elements and their Sr, Nd and Pb isotopicsignature being closer to the HIMU end-member, whereas the upperbasalts are EM II enriched. The chemical differences betweenthe two basalt groups are consistent with a time-related decreasein the degree of partial melting of isotopically heterogeneoussources. It seems unlikely that these isotopic differences reflectchanges in plume dynamics occurring in such a short time span,and we tentatively suggest that they result from a decreasingdegree of partial melting of a heterogeneous EM II–HIMUmantle plume. Some of the intermediate magmas (the uppermost hawaiites andmugearites) are likely to be derived from parent magmas similarto the associated upper basalts through simple fractionationprocesses. Hawaiites, mugearites and a trachyte from the middlepart of the volcanic sequence have Sr–Nd isotopic signaturessimilar to those of the lower basalts but they differ from themin their lower ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios, resulting in an increasedDMM signature. Some of the hawaiites-mugearites also displayspecific enrichments in P₂O₅, Sr and REE which are unlikelyto result from simple fractionation processes. The isotopicand incompatible element compositions of the intermediate rocksare consistent with the assimilation of MORB-derived wall rocksduring fractional crystallization. The likely contaminant correspondsto Pacific oceanic crust, locally containing apatite-rich veinsand hydrothermal sulphides. We conclude that a possible explanationfor the DMM signature in ocean island basalts is a chemicalcontribution from the underlying oceanic crust and that studiesof intermediate rocks may be important to document the originof the isotopic features of plume-derived magmas. KEY WORDS: alkali basalt; assimilation; mantle heterogeneity; Marquesas; tholeiile ^*Corresponding author     

Planktonic foraminiferal and oxygen isotopic stratigraphy and paleoclimatology of Norwegian Sea deep-sea cores

BOREAS Kellogg, T. B., Duplessy, J. C. & Shackleton, N. J. 1978 03 01: Planktonic foraminiferal and oxygen isotopic stratigraphy and paleoclimatology of Norwegian Sea deep-sea cores. Boreas. Vol. 7, pp. 61–73. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.
Three Norwegian Sea deep-sea cores, which penetrate to sediments at least 200,000 years old, were analyzed for oxygen isotope content, total calcium carbonate, and planktonic foraminifera. The oxygen isotopic stratigraphy was used to refine the time control for paleoclimatic and paleo-oceanographic events previously described for the region. Two pulses of relatively warm subpolar water entered the region between 124,000 B.P. and 115,000 B.P. (the last interglacial), and since about 13,000 B.P. The remaining portion of the last 150,000 years was characterized by extensive ice cover. The magnitude of the change in isotopic composition between peak glacial and peak interglacial conditions is larger than can be explained by the changing isotopic content of the oceans alone suggesting that large temperature and salinity effects are recorded in isotope curves from Norwegian Sea isotope curves. The magnitude of the isotopic change from substage 5e to 5d (greater than 1%) is attributed to a combination of changing oceanic isotopic composition combined with a large temperature effect due to a sudden sea-surface temperature decrease of about 6^oC. The persistence of heavy isotope values throughout substages 5d through 5a may be related to the sea-ice cover which prevented dilution of the isotopically heavy waters by isotopically light run-off. Sedimentation rates calculated for each of the isotope stages show large changes from one stage to another with some tendency for odd numbered stages to have higher rates.     

La stratigraphie du Pleistocène supérieur et de l'Holocène dans le Golfe de Gascogne: Essai de synthèse des critères actuellement utilisables

Using analysis of marines cores from the Bay of Biscay as a basis, a system of different episodes of the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene in the area of the Bay is presented. These episodes are characterized by several sedimentological and micropaleontological observations and particularly by the analysis of the coiling ratio of a few species of planktonic foraminifera. From the cores it is thus possible to determine the Holocene, the Würmian with its four glacial and three interglacial stages, and, at the base of the last glacial stage, the Riss-Würm interglacial or its upper level.     

Paléoclimatologie et stratigraphie du Quaternaire terminal du Golfe de Gascogne déduites de l'analyse des Foraminifères planctoniques et des ensenibles sporopolliniques des sédinients marins

The stratigraphy of the Upper Quaternary in the Bay of Biscay based on planktie Fotaminifera is compared to that deduced by palynological study in the same matine core. An identical paleoclimatic interpretation is observed. However, the study of the palynological association has permitted the observation of several climatic variations in the terminal Würmian stages and in the Holocene. On the basis of the analysis, a correlation has been established in the Flolocene between the Boreal-Atlantic limit and the two previous phases recognized by the planktie Foraminifera.     

Facies, cycles, and controls on the evolution of a keep-up carbonate platform (Kimmeridgian, Swiss Jura)

During the Late Jurassic, accelerated ocean-floor spreading and associated sea-level rise were responsible for a worldwide transgression, which reached its maximum in the Late Kimmeridgian. In many Western European basins, this major sea-level rise led to the formation of marly and condensed sections. In the Swiss Jura, however, a shallow carbonate platform kept growing and only subtle changes in the stratigraphic record suggest an increasingly open-marine influence. Field observations and thin-section analyses reveal that the central Swiss Jura was at that time occupied by tidal flats and by more or less open marine lagoons where shoals and bioherms developed. The evolution through time of sedimentary facies and bed thicknesses permits the definition of small-, medium-, and large-scale depositional sequences. The diagnostic features of these sequences are independent of scale and seem largely controlled by the Kimmeridgian second-order transgression. A high-resolution sequence-stratigraphic correlation with biostratigraphically well-dated hemipelagic and pelagic sections in the Vocontian Basin in France reveals that: (i) The most important increase in accommodation recorded in the Kimmeridgian of the central Swiss Jura occurs in the Eudoxus ammonite zone (Late Kimmeridgian) and corresponds to the second-order maximum flooding recognized in many sedimentary basins. (ii) The small- and medium-scale sequences have time durations corresponding to the first and second orbital eccentricity cycle (i.e. 100 and 400 ka, respectively), suggesting that sedimentation on the platform and in the basin was at least partly controlled by cyclic environmental changes induced by insolation variations in the Milankovitch frequency band. The comparison of the high-resolution temporal framework defined in the Swiss Jura and Vocontian Basin with the sequence-stratigraphic interpretation realized in other Western European basins shows that the large-scale sequence boundaries defined in the Kimmeridgian of the Swiss Jura appear in comparable biostratigraphic positions in most Western European basins. Discrepancies that occur are probably because of local or regional tectonics.     

Partial Crystallization of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts in the Crust and Mantle

Pressures at which partial crystallization occurs for mid-oceanridge basalts (MORB) have been examined by a new petrologicalmethod that is based on a parameterization of experimental datain the form of projections. Application to a global MORB glassdatabase shows that partial crystallization of olivine + plagioclase+ augite ranges from 1 atm to 1·0 GPa, in good agreementwith previous determinations, and that there are regional variationsthat generally correlate with spreading rate. MORB from fast-spreadingcenters display partial crystallization in the crust at ridgesegment centers and in both mantle and crust at ridge terminations.Fracture zones are likely to be regions where magma chambersare absent and where there is enhanced conductive cooling ofthe lithosphere at depth. MORB from slow-spreading centers displayprominent partial crystallization in the mantle, consistentwith models of enhanced conductive cooling of the lithosphereand the greater abundance of fracture zones through which theypass. In general, magmas that move through cold mantle experiencesome partial crystallization, whereas magmas that pass throughhot mantle may be comparatively unaffected. Estimated pressuresof partial crystallization indicate that the top of the partialmelting region is deeper than about 20–35 km below slow-spreadingcenters and some ridge segment terminations at fast-spreadingcenters. KEY WORDS: MORB; olivine gabbro; partial crystallization; partial melting; ridge segmentation; fracture zones; crust; mantle; lithosphere     

Temporal Evolution of Magmatism in the Northern Volcanic Zone of the Andes: The Geology and Petrology of Cayambe Volcanic Complex (Ecuador)

In the Northern Volcanic Zone of the Andes, the Cayambe VolcanicComplex consists of: (1) a basal, mostly effusive volcano, theViejo Cayambe, whose lavas (andesites and subordinate dacitesand rhyolites) are typically calc-alkaline; and (2) a younger,essentially dacitic, composite edifice, the Nevado Cayambe,characterized by lavas with adakitic signatures and explosiveeruptive styles. The construction of Viejo Cayambe began >1·1Myr ago and ended at 1·0 Ma. The young and still activeNevado Cayambe grew after a period of quiescence of about 0·6Myr, from 0·4 Ma to Holocene. Its complex history isdivided into at least three large construction phases (Angurealcone, Main Summit cone and Secondary Summit cone) and compriseslarge pyroclastic events, debris avalanches, as well as periodsof dome activity. Geochemical data indicate that fractionalcrystallization and crustal assimilation processes have a limitedrole in the genesis of each suite. On the contrary, field observations,and mineralogical and geochemical data show the increasing importanceof magma mixing during the evolution of the volcanic complex.The adakitic signature of Nevado Cayambe magmas is related topartial melting of a basaltic source, which could be the lowercrust or the subducted slab. However, reliable geophysical andgeochemical evidence indicates that the source of adakitic componentis the subducted slab. Thus, the Viejo Cayambe magmas are inferredto come from a mantle wedge source metasomatized by slab-derivedmelts (adakites), whereas the Nevado Cayambe magmas indicatea greater involvement of adakitic melts in their petrogenesis.This temporal evolution can be related to the presence of thesubducted Carnegie Ridge, modifying the geothermal gradientalong the Wadati–Benioff zone and favouring slab partialmelting. KEY WORDS: adakites; ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating; Cayambe volcano; Ecuador; mantle metasomatism; Andes     

Continuous reactions between biotite, garnet, staurolite, kyanite-sillimanite-andalusite and P-T-time-deformation path in micaschists from the estuary of the river Vilaine, South Brittany, France

Abstract Microprobe analysis of the continuous chemical evolution of coexisting biotite-garnet and biotite-garnet-staurolite has been undertaken from interbedded micaschists of the volcanodetrital group of the Vilaine. A thermobarometric study using pertinent mineralogical equilibria reveals a complex P-T evolution, continuous throughout time, from high pressure, medium temperature (kyanite zone) to medium pressure, high temperature (sillimanite zone), then low pressure, medium temperature (andalusite zone). The T, P, f_H2o and X_H2o variations have been calculated from coexisting biotite-garnet pairs, and from the equilibria: paragonite (in white mica) + quartz ± albite (in plagioclase) + Al silicate + H₂O; and, 3 anorthite ± grossular + 2 Alsilicate + quartz. The P-T evolution is correlated with the continuous change in composition of minerals (using P–X_Mg and T–X_Mg diagrams) and with the evolution of assemblages. This continuous P-T-time evolution, correlated with the successive formation of S₁-S₂ foliations, allows us to propose a P-T-time-deformation path for the micaschists and to relate the growth of its mineral components to tectonic processes.