Ancient lithospheric lherzolite xenolith in alkali basalt from Baja California

K, Rb, Sr contents and Sr isotopic composition are reported for (1) the coexisting silicate minerals of a spinel lherzolite xenolith, (2) the whole rock xenolith, and (3) the host alkali basalt from the Pleistocene-Recent San Quintin volcanic field in Baja California. The data also include major element chemistry of the four mineral phases of the xenolith. The olivine-spinel and pyroxene thermometers indicate that the last temperature of equilibration of the xenolith in the upper mantle was about 1100°C.K, Rb, and Sr abundances are extremely low in the minerals of the xenolith, in contrast with the general enrichment of Ca, Al, Fe and Na in the whole xenolith. Furthermore, the abundance levels and the⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the minerals are greatly lowered by surface washing of the minerals in2N cold HCl for three minutes. It is suggested that this is due to grain boundary and surface contamination of the minerals which took place in the upper mantle by a vapor phase deposition, prior to the inclusion of the xenolith in the basalt. The source of the vapor phase must have a⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio greater than 0.7070, the highest measured ratio in the unwashed orthopyroxene. Sr in the host alkali basalt has a⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7031, unrelated to the grain boundary material.The acid-washed minerals, the unwashed minerals and the acid-washed whole rock xenolith show a scatter on a⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr versus⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr diagram. However, the surface-washed minerals and the whole rock alone define a straight-line relationship with a positive slope, which corresponds to an age3.4 ± 0.3AE(2σ) for the rock and an initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of0.70057 ± 0.0004 (2σ). The age of 3.4 AE for the lherzolite is interpreted as its last involvement in a small degree of partial melting and the consequent extreme depletion of the large ion lithophile elements from the constituent minerals.