Pb isotopes in Ascension Island rocks: oceanic origin for the gabbroic to granitic plutonic xenoliths

The Pb isotopic compositions and U and Pb concentrations of the lava series (alkali basalt to comendite) and of their plutonic xenoliths (gabbro to alkaline granite) of Ascension Island are reported. The data are used to evaluate the source of the xenoliths which formed two differentiation suites: the acidic and intermediate xenoliths together with most of the lavas on the one hand, and the gabbroic xenoliths and a basaltic tuff on the other hand. The Pb isotopic compositions imply a mantle origin for the source magmas of the xenoliths and confirm the possibility of generating granitic rocks in an oceanic environment by fractional crystallization of a mantle-derived magma whose geochemical and isotopic characteristics are comparable to the source magmas of oceanic island basalts.