Bulk-rock Major and Trace Element Compositions of Abyssal Peridotites: Implications for Mantle Melting, Melt Extraction and Post-melting Processes Beneath Mid-Ocean Ridges

This paper presents the first comprehensive major and traceelement data for 130 abyssal peridotite samples from the Pacificand Indian ocean ridge–transform systems. The data revealimportant features about the petrogenesis of these rocks, mantlemelting and melt extraction processes beneath ocean ridges,and elemental behaviours. Although abyssal peridotites are serpentinized,and have also experienced seafloor weathering, magmatic signaturesremain well preserved in the bulk-rock compositions. The betterinverse correlation of MgO with progressively heavier rare earthelements (REE) reflects varying amounts of melt depletion. Thismelt depletion may result from recent sub-ridge mantle melting,but could also be inherited from previous melt extraction eventsfrom the fertile mantle source. Light REE (LREE) in bulk-rocksamples are more enriched, not more depleted, than in the constituentclinopyroxenes (cpx) of the same sample suites. If the cpx LREErecord sub-ridge mantle melting processes, then the bulk-rockLREE must reflect post-melting refertilization. The significantcorrelations of LREE (e.g. La, Ce, Pr, Nd) with immobile highfield strength elements (HFSE, e.g. Nb and Zr) suggest thatenrichments of both LREE and HFSE resulted from a common magmaticprocess. The refertilization takes place in the ‘cold’thermal boundary layer (TBL) beneath ridges through which theascending melts migrate and interact with the advanced residues.The refertilization apparently did not affect the cpx relicsanalyzed for trace elements. This observation suggests grain-boundaryporous melt migration in the TBL. The ascending melts may notbe thermally ‘reactive’, and thus may have affectedonly cpx rims, which, together with precipitated olivine, entrappedmelt, and the rest of the rock, were subsequently serpentinized.Very large variations in bulk-rock Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios areobserved, which are unexpected. The correlation between thetwo ratios is consistent with observations on basalts that D_Zr/D_Hf< 1 and D_Nb/D_Ta < 1. Given the identical charges (5⁺ forNb and Ta; 4⁺ for Zr and Hf) and essentially the same ionicradii (R_Nb/R_Ta = 1·000 and R_Zr/R_Hf = 1·006–1·026),yet a factor of 2 mass differences (M_Zr/M_Hf = 0·511 andM_Nb/M_Ta = 0·513), it is hypothesized that mass-dependentD values, or diffusion or mass-transfer rates may be importantin causing elemental fractionations during porous melt migrationin the TBL. It is also possible that some ‘exotic’phases with highly fractionated Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios may existin these rocks, thus having ‘nugget’ effects onthe bulk-rock analyses. All these hypotheses need testing byconstraining the storage and distribution of all the incompatibletrace elements in mantle peridotite. As serpentine containsup to 13 wt % H₂O, and is stable up to 7 GPa before it is transformedto dense hydrous magnesium silicate phases that are stable atpressures of 5–50 GPa, it is possible that the serpentinizedperidotites may survive, at least partly, subduction-zone dehydration,and transport large amounts of H₂O (also Ba, Rb, Cs, K, U, Sr,Pb, etc. with elevated U/Pb ratios) into the deep mantle. Thelatter may contribute to the HIMU component in the source regionsof some oceanic basalts. KEY WORDS: abyssal peridotites; serpentinization; seafloor weathering; bulk-rock major and trace element compositions; mantle melting; melt extraction; melt–residue interaction; porous flows; Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf fractionations; HIMU mantle sources