Mantle peridotites from the Bouvet Triple Junction Region, South Atlantic |
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| Authors: | D. Brunelli A. Cipriani L. Ottolini A. Peyve E. Bonatti |
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| Affiliation: | Istituto per la Geologia Marina –ISMAR-CNR Bologna, Italy;;Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse (Sezione di Pavia) –CNR, Pavia, Italy;;Institute of Geology –Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia;;Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, NY, USA |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACT The Bouvet Triple Junction (BTJ) region in the South Atlantic, where the African, South American and Antarctica plates meet, is affected by several topographic/melting anomalies. Causes of these anomalies were investigated through a study of mantle-derived serpentinized peridotites sampled from three sites in the BTJ region: (1) the Inner Corner High at the intersection of the America Antarctic Ridge (AAR) with the Conrad transform; (2) the south wall of the Bouvet transform (South West Indian Ridge, SWIR); and (3) the eastern Bouvet SWIR Transform Intersection. The degree of melting undergone by these rocks was estimated from relic mineral major- and trace-element composition. Geochemical profiles from residual peridotites and associated basalts show a > 1000-km-wide melting anomaly centred on the Bouvet and Spiess topographic anomalies. |
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