| Abstract: | Basalts dredged along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge axis between 10°N and 17°N have been studied for their trace element characteristics 1]. To give complementary information on mantle source history and magma genesis, these samples have been analysed for their SrNdPb isotopic compositions. There is a good correlation between the structure of the ridge axis which shows a topographic anomaly centered around 14°N and hygromagmaphile element ratios such as Rb/Sr, (Nb/Zr)N or Sm/Nd as well as isotopic ratios plotted as a function of latitude. The samples coming from the 14°N topographic high show new MORB SrNd isotopic characteristics which pictured in a classical mantle array diagram, put their representative points close to HIMU sources of ocean islands such as St. Helena, Tubuaïand Mangaia. The 14°N mantle source presents geochemical characteristics which indicate mantle differentiation processes and a mantle history that are more distinct than so far envisaged from typical MORB data. Pb data indicates that the 14°N mantle source cannot be the result of binary mixing between a depleted mantle and a HIMU-type source. Rather, the enriched endmember could itself be a mixture of Walvis-like and HIMU-like materials. The geochimical observations presented favour the model of an incipient ridge-centered plume, in agreement with 1]. |
